Ardente Veritate
by moonjump05
Summary: AU. Part Two. With Weyard in a seemingly endless war, Adepts have risen to defend their land from the alien Prox. However, all is not as it appears as those same Prox seek out only the Traitor.
1. Orphan of Flame

The black sky rolled above, the great dark clouds flashing briefly as the blue white lightening wove between the veils of cascading water. The dead city was washed clean after the previous fires ravished the buildings and raped the earth. The gutted skyscrapers crashed in upon themselves, littering the deserted streets with debris.

Upturned trucks were smashed and wrangled; flickering lightposts twisted and gnarled like the branches of a dying tree. Storefront windows shattered, leaving gaping holes staring into the night. The once green trees burned, ashes covering the grass like some mockery of pristine snow.

Peals of thunder echoed between the remaining buildings, through the sewers, and subways, making the pavement above crack and the ground to shake. Pit-holes opened and swallowed entire blocks, leaving only open sores in the cityscape.

Nothing moved, nothing made a sound save for the tiny shuddering breath that escaped into the cold night air. The breath frosted, hanging in the space above her for just a moment before disappearing. She clutched a battered glow light tightly, the faint green light illuminating her young scared face, "What's going on out there?" she asked, wiping a grubby hand across her nose before sniffling, "Where is everyone?"

An older voice, not by much, "I don't know..." Concern and fear leaked out.

She peeked out of the one dirty window of their hidey-hole, trying to see beyond the heavy rain. Nothing, except for the eerie flashes lighting the ruins of the city she lived in. The park, the grocery store, nothing now. _Where was everyone? I'm cold..._

"Don't cry." soothing, but not entirely sure of itself.

Biting her chapped lips was the only way to prevent tears from spilling down her grimy face, but it didn't work. The more she tried to be strong, the more scared she was, and by the time she finished her big brown eyes were red and puffy and she was reduced to dry sobs.

The floor was cold and hard and uncomfortable when she sat down, not having the strength of body or mind to rely on herself for support. Short arms wrapped around short legs and she buried her head in her knees, her tangled auburn hair hanging around her face. The sobs still seemed to come up from the center of her body, that place which was twisted and withered in an innocent child. Her body shook, her hungry stomach sore and her limbs useless. Despair welled up inside, overflowing, and her juvenile mind could not cope.

An arm wrapped around her, the fleeting warmth quickly dissipating, "Don't cry...I'm still here, aren't I?" A forced laugh, more like strangled sob followed.

She smiled in spite herself, and reached up to wipe the shameful tears away when the ground heaved, throwing her painfully into the wall. There was a moment, or an eternity, of blackness before she opened her eyes. She slowly sat up, a burning washing over her from her forehead. Shaky fingers reached up, and quickly snapped back at the feel of warmth and stickiness spreading across her face. Her mouth worked itself silently, unable to express exclamation or indignation.

She had no time however, as a second tremor shook the hidey-hole and cracks splintered up the thick cement walls. A breath, two, before a hand picked up the fallen light, the green glow seeming to hover in mid air all by itself, "It's not safe here anymore- we have to leave."

_What!_ She looked up dumbfounded, child eyes filled with disbelief,"W-we can't! We promised to stay here! We have to stay or they might not find us!" _We might be left behind_! her mind screamed, not able to grasp the reality of the situation.

A clammy hand grabbed hers, strong but nervous, "I'm sure everyone is waiting for us, don't you want to see them?"

"We promised to stay here! We'll get in trouble!"

"I'll tell them it was all my idea, I'll keep you safe," urgent now, "but we have to go!"

She nodded as she was pulled harshly to her feet and led out into the rain. Her feet slid on the broken glass and the shallow puddles, but she was held upright. She struggled to keep up as they passed the debris searching for somewhere safe to hide.

_Stay here and be safe..._

The rain stung her face and the thick air choked her as she gasped.

_We'll come back for you...don't worry..._

They dashed under a miraculously standing doorway, the arch lonesome amid the rubble, and hunched over trying to breathe properly. A third tremor shook, sending the other building crashing to the ground, the vacated hole buried under tons of cement and steel.

"It'll be alright." a whisper.

A raindrop traveled down her nose, hanging on the end until she stubbornly wiped it away. Eyes wide and not understanding, she could only think, _how will they find us now?_ Frightened she turned, wanting an answer but afraid of the response, "W-where...where will we go _now_?

"..." there was no answer.

She sniffed angrily, frustrated and cold, and not able to do anything about it. They would never be found now, they would be all by themselves and miserable. There was nothing left.

A hum, faraway but growing closer. She looked up, blinking against the stinging rain as the hum grew to a shriek and then a wailing siren, falling from somewhere above. She slid forward, peering and trying to get a glimpse of the mystery sound.

"What is-"

A gasp of understanding beside her, "-Jenna, look out!"

She was violently shoved further into the limited shelter of the doorway as a falling metal monstrosity landed heavily in front of them. She struggled to turn around, pushing at the body holding her.

It was some gleaming giant.

Kneeling, it rose gracefully, towering over her. Huge and intimidating armor made it look like some titan from ancient myths, ready to hold the vault of the sky by it's sheer strength alone.

It turned to her.

"Jenna, run!"

She was frozen in place by those unnatural coal red eyes smoldering within the deepset face. It seemed to look right through her, it's gaze petrifying her into some stone statue. But it was magnificent!

Her child mind was entranced, while that tiny voice of reason told her to be frightened and disgusted. She couldn't though... having never seen with her own eyes the utter brilliance and blatant audacity of the Prox, _Those who Destroy_.

She continued to stare mindlessly at the red eyes, child mind enthralled at the sight. Voices screamed at her, far from her, faint echoes across a fathomless abyss. There was nothing in her sight now but _RED_.

"_Jenna, run away!_"

_RED._

The eyes burned fire. The eyes burned her, an unexplainable fire reaching her, surrounding her, _springing forth from inside of her..._

"_Jenna_!"

"_JENNA!_"

_RED._

* * *

"_...found her knocked out..."_

"_...poor little girl..."_

"_...what now?..."_

"_...nothing..."_

Bright fluorescent lights burned her retinas, eyelids quickly blinking against the blinding shine. She felt sleepy, heavy, as if she had just awoken from some dream. She groaned at the harsh light, feeling nauseated and aching.

"So, you are awake."

Alert, Jenna suddenly sat up, then clutched her head as her vision swam and her stomach protested. She stayed still, breathing deeply and trying to quell her upset middle.

"Are you feeling sick? Concentrate on breathing normally for now." A strong, delicate hand rubbed her back, "You are under medication for the injuries and stress."

Jenna felt like complaining, trying to keep her mind from the glaring edge of pain that seemed to travel through her body. She wanted to complain, _wanted to scream_, but the thought of opening her mouth made the contents of her stomach rise up and threaten to spill out.

The voice that belonged to the comforting hand spoke again, "What is your name, little one?"

She looked up when she finally could safely open her mouth to answer. The voice belonged to a woman, one with a kind, soft face. The sort of face that made people automatically trust. A whisper of thought glided at the back of her mind, too faint to hear but loud enough to understand the intention. _Trust me. _She swallowed thickly, making her dry mouth articulate words, "...Jenna..."

A smile crossed her lips, "I am Hama," she sat on the edge of the hospital bed, the crisp linens crunching slightly at her weight. A concerned frown graced her classical features, "How old are you, Jenna?"

"Eight."

She nodded, not surprised, "What was the last thing you remember before waking up here?"

Jenna thought, her small face scrunched up as she started to remember...

... _"Jenna!"_

_She was frozen, immobile, incapable of thought or action. Only feeling remained, only mesmerization. There was nothing else._

_The giant moved, raising it's fist-one that glowed with the tell-tale red and orange of fire._

"_JENNA!"_

_The fire came towards her, then came _from_ her, yellow and orange and red-always red. The flames sprang forth, close then rushing outwards, her vision filled with fire._

_It was right there, close enough to feel the burning heat on her tear filled face. Close enough to feel the raging flame in her chest exploding outwards. _So close!

_The pure ecstasy of it, so foreign to her innocence, washed through her. Enveloped her, folded her up in its warmth. She couldn't stop as the awakened fire flowed through her, finally freeing itself from its long dormancy, becoming something of itself, something alive._

_She opened her eyes, a strange smile on her face that quickly turned into a silent scream as she witnessed what no child should. There, burning was the brother she loved. His form disappearing into the sea of flame and smoke and ash. _

_Jenna screamed, an ear piercing wail that rose above crackle around her. She screamed, the dry hot air ripping in and then out of her lungs. The image violently burned into her mind, a horrible ugly memory..._

She stared, the fiery pictures playing back in her mind like some grotesque movie, utterly terrible but secretly moving. Even the disgust could not completely hide the joy as she felt her fire around her. It was hers, and she was one with it.

That traitorous joy quickly dissolved as her child mind started to finally comprehend that she had lost her sibling. He was gone, and she was alone now.

"He's...gone..." she whispered, amazed that the simple vocalization of the fact had such an affect on her. Her chest tightened, and her eyes started to water.

"Who is gone, Jenna?" the purple haired woman asked soothingly, the worry for the young girl evident on her kind features, "What is it that you remember?"

"I'm all alone now." the girl said, uncharacteristic melancholy in her child face. That was it, she was all that was left. It was strange to be with someone else, but still feel completely cut off from them, to know you had no ties left in this world.

"Was there someone else with you?"

"...m-my big brother, Felix..."

Hama frowned, worry lines creasing her face, making her seem far too old. There had been no other living person found in that sector, it was amazing she survived through the firestorm that had razed through like some tale from the apocalypse. It was unprecedented, that fire. To have survived, _she is so young, but full of potential-_

-"Where is he!" Jenna shouted, slamming her small fists into the sheets, her face flushing, "Tell me now!"

The older woman didn't answer right away, her natural inherent empathy rising. _To lose..._

When she finally did answer the girl, her voice was quiet yet powerful, and full of shared sympathy, "You were the only one we found, Jenna," she paused, "Everything else was burned away."

Jenna shook her head, "I'm not gonna cry anymore," her voice hard but scared, all traces of a happy childhood stripped away from her visage as tears streamed recklessly down her cheeks.

* * *

_Weyard was wrapped in shadow..._

_War had raged for over 500 years against the Prox- an alien race _

_with unknown intentions, but always hostile._

_However, Weyard birthed a powerful weapon, the Adepts, those few born with the blessings of the gods, those few who wielded the elements themselves._

_Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire._

_The ancient art of Alchemy, willful control of the four forces of nature, was not enough against the giant mechanical warriors of Prox. So Weyard harnessed Psynergy, the very life energy, _

_and this allowed the Adepts to fight back against the Prox._

_As the battle rages, a new age is about to dawn..._

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Golden Sun 12, nor am I making a single penny off of this!

Sometimes I wonder why I do this at all... Anywhoo, This is the first chapter to an AU golden sun fanfic, I haven't seen them drive around in giant mechs yet, so I thought I'd do it! This will be very serious, and very violent, with just about every plotline imaginable. Although it most likely won't be super long, expect to see everyone in it, and I mean everyone.

Thank you for reading, and I do hope you enjoy.


	2. The Stone of Sages

The sky arched above, the blue expanse growing closer as she flew. White clouds lazed by, seemingly indifferent to the mere mortal realm below them. She stopped in midair, the machinery around her compensating for the loss of momentum and gravity.

**Blink**. _There_, she raced to the spot the tiny green dot showed. The arms of her mech, Megaera, folding back while wings of fire blasted out, propelling her through the cold thin air.

A flash of sunlight on metal, to the right, gave away their exact position. A gale of wind ripped by her, followed by a fireball. _Oh, so they want to play like that..._

She gathered her own power, the mech humming while the accumulated psynergy expanded her own powers tenfold. That familiar thrill swept through her, setting her nerves on fire. She raised a hand, mirrored by her mech, and blasted the two dots in the distance with a wave of white hot fire.

The wave hit them both, sending the large mechs out of their previous altitude. Black smoke trailed behind them as they fell, and for a moment Jenna worried that she had given them too much. But, first one, then the other righted themselves, and the loud indignant protests came over the com, "Jenna! What the hell was that for?"

She ignored the angry sputtering, and spoke calmly to the third, "Ok, Ivan. I think we've put you through enough for today," an amused lough escaped her throat, "head back to HQ."

A voice, even more youthful than herself responded quickly, "Yes sir, uh... ma'am."

"Stop the kiss ass," the first voice said-much deeper than hers and Ivan's- agitated, "Just hurry up and do as ordered."

"S-Sir!"

Jenna smiled maliciously, "Garet, play nice or you'll not only answer to me," she paused for effect, "but the commander as well."

"Fine."

She smirked into her helmet's audio transmitter, just imagining the burly Garet red faced and angry. It was so easy to push his buttons, and she had plenty of practice. He was most likely just eager to get back, but taking it out on the commander's little brother was probably not the best course of action.

The visor in front of her dark eyes blinked rapidly as two green dots slowly moved away from her position, lines of script continually moving giving distance and velocity. She tapped the fine controls with her left hand, using the adjustments to precisely calibrate her mech. Megaera was powered by psynergy, but Jenna moved it like an extension of her own body, and therefore it had to be continuously readjusted to suit her needs.

The mech was custom made for her, like all mechs were, to perfectly balance her own psynergy needs with those required by the mech to run. Each was a work of art, reflecting the pilot inside to such a degree that a single glance at a mech told her exactly what type of person was inside. Each a precisely calibrated weapon, whose main purpose was the destruction of the enemy.

However, their mechs did not compare to the vastly more powerful and more agile mechs of the Prox. The giants of legend came to life as a destructive enemy. Many a pilot had met those juggernauts and died, but the Adept's best hope were these inferior mechs. Nothing else could penetrate the thick armor even if the assault landed.

So all resources were put into these mechanical warriors, the only hope of defeating the terrorizing invaders.

Jenna speed forward, the bleak landscape below blurring into one mass of brown and gray occasionally dotted by the listless pale green of stagnant water. Only the flawless sky above remained untouched by the war that gripped the world.

"Megaera on approach, over."

Faint static then the tired voice of the com-tech, "Roger that, Megaera. Cleared for bay three."

"Come on, Briggs. Say it with a little more enthusiasm."

"Cleared for bay three." he dead-panned.

"You can do better than that." she sing songed.

"Cleared for fucking bay three!"

"Watch the language." Chaucha spoke on the other line.

Jenna snickered.

"Then you deal with her!"

"This stress isn't good for the baby, dear." she said calmly.

"What-"

"-Cleared for bay three, over," she interrupted the sputtering Briggs.

"Roger that."

* * *

HQ looked like something straight out of a science fiction movie, a giant floating battlestation. Several million people lived and worked and died there among its fifty odd levels spanning almost a square mile.

Pulse cannons tracked her as she approached, but did not fire, and the large shielded bay doors opened slowly. The metal armored outside was pitted and cracked from multitudes of battles, but the inside was polished and new, the docking clamps sliding effortlessly across the lighted floor to pull her in.

Hama greeted her as she unhooked from her mech, the older woman wanting a first hand account of her brother's performance earlier. She was curt and concise, still not pleased that Ivan had joined up.

Taking off her helmet, Jenna brushed her long hair over her shoulder while riding the lift down to the bottom floor of the docking bay. She could see Garet, chatting away with some of the techs, making wide arm gestures to highlight every other word. Most likely pestering them for some improvement or another. She couldn't see Ivan, his mech being checked over as he made the mandatory trip to the med bay after the first official run. The stress of piloting a mech had to be carefully monitored routinely.

Hama continued her questions, her voice torn between wanting her brother to do well and the sisterly, almost motherly, worry she felt. It was no wonder she was worried, Ivan was all the family the violet haired woman had left and she was astoundingly protective. She had raised the wind adept since he was a toddler, right before she met Jenna. And for the past twelve years acted as a mother to Ivan and an older sister to the orphaned Jenna.

However, Ivan was an Adept, and every single user of Alchemy was needed in the fight against Prox. Hama the commander had accepted that, Hama the sister had not.

Jenna understood, even if she didn't share the commander's concern. Garet and her needed Ivan, he was already a powerful wind adept and competent enough to pilot his mech. She cared for the short boy, laughed when he defied his sister and bleached his hair, but defeating the Prox held priority. Since Susa...since Susa was gone, it had just been the two fire adepts against Boreas and sometimes Judgement. And they were fighting a losing battle, especially with Boreas' water attacks.

_They hadn't been prepared... no Prox were ever witnessed to use anything but fire..._

_Damn..._

Her heart clenched for a horrifying moment, reliving the still sharp pain as she watched that massive tidal wave wash over him... then the wreckage of metal and blood left behind...

_Stop it_, she told herself sternly as she could linger for hours in pity wondering what she could have done, what she should have done. _Just like before..._

Hama interrupted her thoughts, speaking plainly of matters at hand, "His performance went well. I am... proud, if not concerned, but I am confident that Ivan will become an asset to our HQ in short time."

Jenna nodded, glad for the distraction, "Ivan will join us for good?"

The older woman narrowed her heavily lashed eyes, but her voice was still that of commander, "As soon as his med tests check out, yes."

The bland hallways became more and more crowded, singly uninspired architecture made up the inside of HQ. And in these plain corridors were identical techs, only the specialty bars on their navy blue uniforms were different. Jenna herself wore her mandatory jumpsuit, maroon colored with the gleaming golden plugs to connect with her mech littered across the sturdy fabric.

Hama, however, forwent the stiff uniform whenever possible, but the high collared black suit complemented the woman's fine long hair, pale skin, and statuesque figure. She seemed to achieve, without effort, a grace and beauty that only enhanced her position as West Air Commander. But beneath the cool, collected surface was steel, and unbending will that allies and adversaries alike respected and admired.

Jenna had seen that side of Hama all too many times. The woman was unbreakable, unyielding, unable to give an inch. Even against the Council, Hama's word was near law. Her only weakness was Ivan, the younger brother she loved so much, and no one could fault her that.

Commander and pilot reached the bridge of HQ, great blast shielded, airtight double doors sliding oped to the neatly ordered activity within. No chaos or disorder, just the perfectly executed actions of the bridge as a whole. Hama strode forward, calmly seating herself like some mythical queen among a flurry of servants.

Kaja saluted her swiftly before launching into endless details and orders from command. Jenna only listened halfheartedly, "... readings of two-two-point-five-one-nine. And they're sayin' that's too high! Like ta see them lazy bums run one o'these with that kinda output-"

"-Ma'am, summons to the Council chamber arrived half an hour ago."

Hama nodded, "Thank you, Fiezhi. Kaja, send Madame Uzume the latest energy readouts. Explain to her that we are already running at minimal power, and that any less would constitute a liability to the performance of this station. Hsu, change course trajectory to...one-one-eight-point-zero-five starboard, sending confirmation codes now." She clicked the code into her armrest, the confirmation appearing seconds later on the large holographic display at the front of the bridge.

Hsu, up front, acknowledged, "Roger that, changing course to one-one-eight-point-zero-five starboard side." He spun the large navigational wheel, the viewscreen showing the slow change by the creeping of median lines across the digitally generated background. His visor blinked the same information in miniature while he corrected the station for altitude and pitch with the seemingly hundreds of levers and gauges that surrounded him.

"Confirming course change with command." Fiezhi added, long fingers flying over the keyboard imputing the codes over secure channels. Her neural implants flashed red and green under her short cropped purple hair as the data was sent via telepathic waves. All secure information had to be sent this way over long distances, as it was all too easy to pick up even scrambled codes of any electromagnetic spectra. "Course change confirmed, awaiting further orders."

"Ma'am, you should get to Council," Kaja said, folding beefy arms over his barrel chest, "I'll send Madame Uzume that message." he grinned roguishly, imagining the stoic woman on the other side of Weyard.

"I will not answer summons like some lapdog," Hama snapped, "besides, I doubt the Council requires my presence to bicker with each other."

Kaja barely restrained a chortle, while Jenna smirked widely.

"I wouldn't find it so funny if I were you, Jenna," Hama continued, not even looking around to where the pilot was standing behind her, "I'm sending you in my place."

"What!" the pilot asked loudly.

"And I expect a full report upon your return, that is an order."

"But- yes ma'am."

Hama nodded, resuming her command of the bridge, and effectively dismissing Jenna. Kaja gave her a sympathetic pat on the back, one that nearly sent her sprawling to the floor, before joining his commander.

Jenna righted herself and huffed out of the bridge, stalking down the crowded corridors. She had such a furious expression on her face that the mild mannered ensigns literally jumped out of her path, not wanting an errant fireball thrown their way.

* * *

"One last test, then we're done."

The blonde boy nodded excitedly, shifting on the examination table into a more comfortable position. Finally he would be an official Adept, be able to go on missions with his mech, Eclipse. Be able to show his sister that he had grown up.

He would be the youngest Adept to ever pilot a mech, _that should prove something_, he thought, happily smirking inside. Even Jenna would have to give him some respect now, no more laughing at him or teasing him anymore. He would show them.

"Alright Ivan, I just need a quick blood sample. I won't hurt a bit."

He held out his arm arrogantly, confident in his inevitable success as a mech pilot. However, all that crumbled away the moment he saw the wicked looking needle advancing upon him. His boyish face paled, and he swallowed thickly. Evil aliens trying to destroy the world he could handle, but needles? He shuddered, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Ivan, you need to relax. I can't draw from you with your arm all tensed up like that." Mia soothed, big blue eyes coaxing. She reached for his cold clammy hand, and held it, "Just this little test, then you can go out and fly around in your mech whenever you want to."

Ivan opened one eye cautiously, searching her face for any falsehoods. Her large eyes were staring at him intently, and he blushed averting his own gaze. Mia seized this opportunity, and quickly withdrew the blood sample while he was busy being embarrassed. Ivan didn't even notice the deception of the healer until she was done.

"See? Didn't hurt at all did it?" she said smiling.

"Mia!" he flushed, embarrassed and angry that she had gotten the better of him. He snatched his arm away form her, holding it protectively to his chest while she crossed the room to insert the sample into the test machine. The machine accepted it, and beeped almost happily, immediately starting to show results on the large display panel.

"Hmmm...oh...that's not good..." Mia muttered to herself, examining the results.

Ivan rushed over, anger forgotten, and tried to peer over the taller woman's shoulder. Mia intercepted him though and blocked his view, still making disapproving noises in the back of her throat.

"What does it say?" he asked anxiously.

"Well..." she paused dramatically, drawing out the moment, "It says that... you are perfectly healthy and I have no choice but to clear you for service."

He stood there flabbergasted for a split second, then loudly whooped, "Ha! I knew it!"

"Knew what?" Garet asked, sauntering into the med room. He leaned casually against the test machine, peering down at the younger boy.

"I'm cleared for service," Ivan said haughtily, "now I'm one of you guys."

Garet raised a thick eyebrow, glancing between the healer and the very smug boy in front of him, "Oh really?"

Mia nodded, wrapping an arm around the now beet faced Ivan, "Such a cute little pilot too!"

"I'm not little!"

Ivan's exclamation went unnoticed by the grinning Mia and the jealous looking Garet. The burly pilot crossed his arms, his voice surly, "Last time I come up here to check in on you, Ivan."

"Well _I _didn't _ask _you to."

"That's enough, you two," Mia broke in, seeing the daggers that were being glared between them, "Be nice."

"He started it!" they both said at the same time, pointing to each other as the perpetrator. The healer groaned, and opened her mouth to speak just as Fiehzi came on over the com.

* * *

The Council chamber was a stark contrast to the rest of HQ. Rich paneled wood and thick carpeting gave the room an almost natural, warmly healthy feel. The incandescent lights were a far cry from the harsh fluorescence beating down everywhere else.

Jenna slipped inside, not wanting to draw attention to herself and explain the absence of the commander. She seated herself far away from the long table at the front of the room, sinking comfortably into one of the plush chairs and into the shadows.

"... the power of Alchemy is not limitless," an older man was speaking, the spotlight overhead making him sweat in his heavy suit right where he stood, "as you know, psynergy has to be harnessed for the Adept to be able to wield it effectively. But this energy is not infinite-"

"-That's why we spend a hefty chunk of our budget on mining, Kraden," Lunpa said condescendingly from his seat.

"And we don't need an economics lesson," Babi snapped, chiseled features angry, "please continue professor."

Kraden cleared his throat, nervously wiping the lenses of his old fashioned glasses before continuing, "This dependance on psynergy has caused quite a liability in the war, as much of the Defense Elite, and the Adepts themselves, are needed to protect the supply lines. With the recent aggressiveness of the Prox, and the increased attacks on the mining sites and supply transports, there may not be a ready supply of psynergy to power the mechs, or even the battlestation itself."

"Then we must fight back quickly, strike them down now, pour our resources into war." Akafubu spoke up, slamming a fist into the shiny surface of the table. The other council members shook their heads at his passion, quite used to his outbursts by now.

"If the problem were that easily solved, then this war would not have lasted for more than five hundred years." Hydros replied, rubbing the bridge of his roman nose.

"Hydros is right," Obaba agreed, staring down the much younger Akafubu with beady eyes, "there must be a better solution that will not jeopardize HQ."

"There would not be a war if we attacked the Prox!" he yelled at her, raising himself out of his seat.

"Of course there would be no war," Faran said calmly, "because we would be annihilated."

Jenna sighed as the council members then proceeded to out shout each other, while an extremely nervous Kraden stood before them unable to decide if he could leave. Trust someone to bring up a plausible concern only to have the council forget and argue with each other. At least it didn't result in Akafubu and Lunpa duking it out with each other in the middle of the chamber, although if someone didn't break up this one there could be a repeat.

Dodonpa took up Akafubu's stance, seeming to think that if he yelled the others would agree with him. Akafubu was his usual animated self, slamming fists and gesturing wildly with his extraordinarily long arms. He almost smacked the nearby Moapa, causing the large man to bodily place Akafubu in his seat.

Obaba was just as animated, the tiny woman leaning to the others for support. Hydros nodded sagely, eyes closed, while Faran tried to reason with Akafubu in his mild tones. Babi was whispering urgently to his aide, Iodem, as Donpa shook his head at his own son's behavior. Lunpa almost completely ignored the actual argument, saying to no one in particular, "But how much will it cost?"

Kraden looked anxiously from one council member to the next, then hurriedly gathered his papers and notes, quickly placing them inside an old battered briefcase. He was just about to leave when Babi suddenly spoke up, "Please professor, continue. _I _for one would like to hear what you have to say."

Jenna was impressed, as each of the other members actually fell silent. Perhaps this was a bigger problem than she thought.

"Ah, yes," the scholar shuffled back, seemingly embarrassed, "the unrenewable resource, psynergy.

"There will always be a limited amount of psynergy available," he continued, "as it comes from the very life of Weyard. There is only so much psynergy available this way."

Jenna frowned, confused. _What did he mean by 'this way'? _Babi must have mirrored her own feelings since he asked, "What other way is there to acquire psynergy besides mining for the crystals?"

At this, Kraden seemed to lose his nervousness, and spoke with a gusto, "In my years of research, only one solution has presented itself to me. I was amazed and shocked at first, but then as more and more evidence was found I began to believe.

"Have you heard of the Stone of Sages?"

There was a surge of laughter as Dodonpa replied, "The Stone of Sages? That is nothing more than an old wive's tale, a legend, a myth! If this is all you have to offer us you quack, then I suggest you make yourself scarce."

Jenna couldn't help but agree, the mythical Stone of Sages was nothing more than that-a myth. The legendary spring of power could not exist, it was something out of fairytales. It seemed most of the Council agreed with this sentiment, expressing their disbelief in varying degrees of courtesy.

Kraden seemed nonplused by this, he must have expected it, "I understand your scepticism, and even shared it at one point, but I can prove that the Stone of Sages exists."

There was an awkward silence in the chamber as the council members looked at one another wearily. Obaba motioned for Babi to dismiss the scholar, but Hydros unexpectedly interrupted, "Professor Kraden, please continue."

The scholar nodded, "I have found this ancient tablet," here he brought up an image of the slab to one of the wall viewscreens, "the Tomegathericon. It expressly chronicles the containment of the Stone of Sages millennia ago by the Anemos."

"But the Anemos have left no decipherable tongue," Hydros said, "how can you know what this tablet says?"

"Because it was not written by the Anemos," Kraden answered. He pressed a few more keys, bringing up the illegible script on the tablet next to modern characters, "it was written by the Lemurians."

"That still does not prove the Stone of Sages exists." Hydros replied sadly.

"That alone does not," Kraden agreed, "but the details it gives of the lost Sol Sanctum does. For a race that never ventured out of their homeland to know the exact geographical details of a continent half a world away is too unbelievable."

"Even if what you say is true," Babi said slowly, "the Stone was sealed away. Never to be loosed upon Weyard again. How could we gain its power?"

Kraden shuffled his weight, unsure, "The Tomegathericon speaks of a 'key' to unseal the elemental power of the Stone of Sages."

"And what exactly is this 'key'?" Babi asked, very interested in Kraden's answer.

"I... do not know for sure. The Anemos knew that the Stone of Sages might have to be unsealed one day. They left a key, I am sure of it."

"This is ridiculous," Dodonpa broke in, "If the Stone of Sages even exists, and if we can find this 'key'? We need more concrete solutions to our problems."

"Besides," Lunpa added, "do you realize how much that kind of endeavor would cost? The manpower to excavate the Sol Sanctum, then all the hours looking into this 'key'? There must be a better way."

"I am sorry Kraden, but I must agree with my colleagues on this matter," Babi spoke gravely, "This type of endeavor is simply not feasible at this point. We must worry about today as well as tomorrow."

The other members agreed, save for Hydros. The older man merely ceding to their majority. The scholar nodded, clearly disappointed as he gathered his documents and powered down the viewscreen.

Jenna was about to slip away quietly when the com on her waist blared the emergency signal, giving away her presence at the meeting. She caught a few hardened glares, but the com held her attention as she switched it on, "Jenna here, what is it?"

"Got an emergency signal from the Apojii Outpost," Garet said, his voice pure business, "Seems like our two good friends decided to show up and make mincemeat out of the Defense Elite there. We are answering the SOS, so get over here."

"Understood." she answered, clipping the com back onto her waist and speeding down the corridors to the launch bay.

* * *

Apojii lay isolated in the middle of the Eastern Sea, an archipelago surrounded by coral reefs and white crested waves. The sea was crystal clear there, a turquoise on the surface that hid the treacherous depths below.

Perhaps in another life it could have been a tourist trap, with its sandy beaches and tall palm trees, but here and now the islands were desolate. Once verdant valleys filled with colorful tropical birds were now rocky and barren, the sheer cliff faces eroding away at the relentless wind and water.

The tiny outpost nestled in one of the many valleys was stoutly guarded by the DE, however the outposts main defense was its location. It was hidden away, in one of the most deserted places in Weyard. Travel by sea was nearly impossible, as the reefs right under the surface of the sea would rip the bottom off of a ship, and by air the outpost itself was invisible.

Speeding up her mech, Jenna flew over the tranquil waters sending up spray on either side of her. Garet and Ivan followed, trailing behind her but not near enough to get splashed in her wake. Apojii lay ahead, seemingly at peace until the sonic boom blasted them, sending the mechs back up into the air.

"What was that?" she asked, having not seen the explosion that must have caused it. She adjusted her mech anxiously, running a check for any damages.

"Must have been a big one," Garet answered from inside his mech Kirin, "it can't be good."

"Let's get 'em!" Ivan exclaimed, a bit breathless.

"Check for damages, Ivan. We can't be too careful." Jenna admonished him, hoping he would not forget the basics, hoping he wouldn't rush in for now.

"I'm fine here," he snapped, Eclipse seeming to mirror his frustration, "Stop worrying about me."

"He's right," Garet surprised her, "we have a mission."

She narrowed her eyes at his remark, "Then get your asses in gear."

The outpost was in shambles when they reached it. The earlier explosion had erupted from inside, the roof completely gone like some dollhouse subject to a giant's tantrum. The valley walls had collapsed and lay now on the valley's floor, the resulting boulders sharp faceted from being freshly ripped from the rock face above.

Many DE mechs lay scattered, carelessly strewn about like some child's discarded toys. The handful left were fighting the two Proxian mechs, a vain, useless battle.

Boreas sent a spear of ice at a nearby mech, the icicle tearing through the armored metal and pinning the hapless mech to the other side of the valley lifeless. He moved on, a wall of water crashing down on two others, leaving them there on the valley floor.

Jenna cringed at the pale blue mech, a shiver running down her spine. Boreas looked so noble and proud from the outside, save for that undercurrent of menace. A sickening malice that seemed to permeate his being, seemed to radiate from him in waves.

Judgement was present too, the mech standing to the side as if not involved in the carnage around him. At least Jenna assumed Judgement was a him, he never spoke, unlike Boreas that seemed to gloat at every available opportunity.

"Get your ass over here, Boreas!" Garet shouted to the ice mech, fist raised up and glowing with the telltale red of his psynergy.

"Yeah, you bastard!" Ivan echoed, not wanting to be outdone.

"What are you doing here, Boreas? Did you need your daily requirement of blood and gore?" Jenna taunted, readying herself for the inevitable psynergetic attack.

"Look Judgement, little Megaera and Kirin have come to play with us," he said amused, "and they brought us a new playmate! What is your name?"

"E-Eclipse," Ivan stuttered, Boreas' attention solely on him.

_Ivan_. Jenna switched to the other line, "Don't let him get to you Ivan, keep a clear head and let Garet and me handle him for now."

"I can take care of myself." the blonde boy said angrily.

"Shut your mouth, Boreas," Garet interrupted, "I still owe you for what you did to Susa."

"Hmmm, it seems like I have to fight Kirin, Judgement," Boreas said conversationally, "no objections?"

Judgement merely stepped to the side as if to say 'go ahead'.

There was a pause for a split second, then Boreas launched himself forward, water rushing around his fist as he collided with Kirin. Garet tried to shield himself, but failed and flew backwards, his metal feet creating furrows in the rocky ground as he slowed down.

Jenna's fists clenched as she summoned her alchemy, her mech making a beeline for Boreas and catching him just off guard with a razor of fire. He stepped back, surprised but not hurt, and blasted her with a jet of water before she could recover from her headlong momentum. She slammed into Ivan, the two mechs tumbling down to the valley floor.

Garet had found himself, and attacked Boreas, a serpent of fire raising out of his chest and blasting into the ice mech, sending him down to one knee. Ivan finally contributed, hitting Boreas with a blue white bolt of lightening, while nimbly dodging the ice spear counterattack.

Judgement, who had previously stood aside, came up behind Ivan, slashing Eclipse with his massive sword. He caught Eclipse in the arm, the psynergetic backlash causing Ivan to scream out in pain. He fell from the sky, crashing heavily into the barren ground below, a crater opening up underneath him.

"Ivan!" Jenna shouted over the private line, rushing up to meet Judgement before he could finish the wind Adept off. He blocked her attack with the blunt side of his sword, then swung at her midsection. She barely evaded, and brought her razor fire at him, the blades slashing at his thick armor. He parried, moving at those inhuman speeds, and caught her mech's leg, the armor not enough to stop the sheer power behind the swing.

She felt the backlash, the sharp pain ripped through her connection to the mech, and she stumbled to a crouching position for a half moment. But that was all the time her enemy needed and she heard the whoosh of air as Judgement struck at her other leg, crippling her but not killing her.

She stared in amazement as Judgement walked off. Boreas laughed over the public line, "Evening the playing field, are you?"

There was a pause, and Judgement must have answered the ice mech on a private com line for he continued, "Fair enough, Judgement. I'll just finish up here."

Boreas summoned a sheet of ice, and sent it down onto Garet. But he was prepared this time, and used a spiral of fire to melt it, a soft shower landing on his mech instead. The spiral continued outwards at Boreas, hitting the mech squarely in the chest and he fell backwards.

Garet was upon him in an instant, fists blasting him with a surge of flame as he lay prone on the ground. But the Proxian mech was too fast, and Boreas kicked out Kirin's legs, the heavy mech falling against the nearby rock wall.

The ice mech raised one massive hand, water freezing into a long stiletto blade, and rushed forward, right for the control center. _Right where Garet was_.

But there was no sickening crunch as Garet was pierced by the sharp ice. There was no splatter of metal instead of gore on the unfortunate boulder behind Kirin.

There was a clash, then a shattering of ice, the tiny crystalline shards flying apart. Then Boreas' voice over the com, "Charon."

* * *

Dramatis Personae

Jenna: Megaera, Fire Adept

Felix: Deceased

Garet: Kirin, Fire Adept

Ivan: Eclipse, Wind Adept

Mia: Healer, Water Adept

Susa: Haures, Earth Adept, deceased

Hama: Commander of Western HQ, Wind Adept

Uzume: Command Liaison, Earth Adept

Kaja: Second in Command- Western HQ

Fiehzi: Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Hsu: Navigational Officer- Western HQ

Obaba: Council Chair

Babi: Council member

Faran: Council member

Akafubu: Council member

Donpa: Council member

Dodonpa: Council member

Lunpa: Council member

Moapa: Council member

Hydros: Council member

Iodem: Babi's aide

Kraden: Scholar

Briggs: Mech Communications Officer-Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Chaucha: Mech Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Defense Elite: Mech Warriors

Prox: Alien invaders, Fire Adepts

Boreas, Water Adept

Judgement?

Charon?

Anemos?

Lemuria?

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Golden Sun 1 or 2, nor am I making a penny off of this.

Thanks so much for all the reviews! I can't believe I got that great of a turnout for a single chapter! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzly inside. I tried to email everyone back, but some of the emails returned, and others didn't have one so from now I'll just answer here in the chapter.

Spacejoe: Thanks! I am glad this is original, and that you enjoy the robots and aliens!

Rozzlyn: I can't help it, I like the destruction and violence! Thanks for reading.

SpasticDjinn: I am glad you enjoy the style, even though it isn't very happy. Thanks!

Cyberwolfmk: I'm glad I put in the giant robots then!

Kyarorain: I'd like to archive this fic, and thanks for the compliments!

Asura's Fire: Thank you so much! I always think my writing is too vague.

3-1-05


	3. Dance of the Adept

"Charon."

The way Boreas said that name made Jenna's skin crawl. She shivered, pain forgotten, and staggered to her feet while Kirin, Boreas, and Charon stood still. Seemingly locked into place by some invisible force.

Boreas was the first to recover, and leaped back, a fresh ice blade in his mech's hand. Charon turned to face him slowly, as if the ice warrior wasn't even worth the time. Garet stayed in place, trying to be unnoticeable as he readied himself for another attack.

Jenna stayed still, hoping that the hot headed Garet would do the same. If these two wanted to duke it out, then that was fine. One less unknown to worry about.

She couldn't see Ivan anymore, as Judgement was blocking her view. He didn't move from his spot as Charon showed up.

"Charon," Boreas' voice sneered, as he lifted his ice blade to the other mech in challenge, "I didn't think you would show up. It will be quite the pleasure to rip you apart."

"Leave this place, now." Charon spoke quietly, but strongly. His voice couldn't be much older than her own, Jenna realized. What could he have done to make Boreas have such a strong reaction to him? _Who was he?_

They stood facing each other for a moment, then in a flash of movement, were upon each other. Ice blade clashed against golden sword, as they tested their might. They strained against each other, neither giving an inch.

Then, they broke apart, already rushing in again, this time with the glow of psynergy around them. Boreas summoned water, the spout raising from the very ground, steaming. It surged towards Charon, blue and white, and relentless.

But the earth met it, raising like the water before, the earth stopped the onrushing tide. The water breaking on the rock wall.

Boreas seemed stunned for a precious second, and Charon rose from above the rock wall his sword bearing down on the malicious ice mech. Boreas barely blocked the blow, and leaped back, resting against the valley wall.

But Charon followed him, his gleaming sword held high, while the valley floor split into two underneath the ice mech's very feet. Boreas struggled for balance, and Charon struck, his blade striking true to the enemy's arm.

"Bastard!" Boreas screamed, rage filling the com. He stabbed upward, but the ice blade glanced off the heavy armor of Charon.

Jenna watched, entranced as the two battled. _How could they be so strong? _How could she compare? What was the use, now that she could see their true power?

It was some elaborate dance that she didn't know the steps to. They wove in and out, strike and parry, attack and counter. It was, in a way, beautiful. She could have watched for hours, enthralled and memorized.

But it ended all too soon. Charon had the upper hand, his sword bearing down on the unfortunate Boreas. He would have destroyed the ice mech too, if not for Judgement finally interfering. Judgement stopped the blow with his own sword, making Charon stagger back from the recoil.

Planting his feet, Charon summoned his psynergy, and the ground shot up before him, straight for the two Proxian mechs. Jenna stared, wondering if this newcomer was going to kill them. Would he be able to accomplish what Garet, Susa, Ivan and herself were unable to?

But the earth stopped.

Right in front of Judgement and Boreas. It just stopped. _What_?

Charon echoed her thought, whispering over the com in disbelief, "What...? How...?"

"Get out of the way, Judgement," Boreas snarled, "I'm not finished with him yet."

Judgement held out an arm, preventing the ice mech from attacking. He stood there calmly, but Boreas had other ideas, "Get out of the way, now."

Silence for a few moments, then Boreas again, "I don't care! Move! They will hear about this, Judgement!"

Jenna glanced between Judgement and Boreas, they didn't see eye to eye. There was a rift between the two allies.

Charon tried his psynergy again, but this time the earth imploded between the enemies, creating a gaping crater in the valley floor. Boreas shoved Judgement out of the way, ice stilettos forming from his hands while he jumped up and then came down on Charon.

But the ice mech was thwarted once again by a strong gust of wind, sending him off balance and tumbling.

Jenna spun around, to see Ivan up, his breathing now heavy over the com, "Ivan! Stay back! There's someone else now!"

Her warning came too late, as shards of ice rained down on Eclipse, pinning him to the ground. She growled, fury rising in her heart, and struck out. Spokes of fire radiated from her hands and spiraled outwards, catching the tumbling Boreas straight on. She heard him cry out, but didn't care, her vision filled with red.

Garet was suddenly there too, his own pysnergy mixing with hers, the fire ripping apart Boreas. She pressed on, pouring more and more power into the fire, willing it to tear the flesh from his bones. Ordering it to melt the metal of the mech.

She wanted him dead, she wanted him to suffer. He had killed Susa, dear noble Susa. _He deserved to burn!_

She could feel the passion from Garet too. It rose and intertwined with hers, they become one for an eternity, a moment. There was nothing but the fire between them, scorching.

Jenna couldn't have stopped, even if she wished it.

So, instead, she was ripped from her psynergetic link. Her voice crying out at the loss. Her body crying out at the sharp backlash. Her heart crying out at the evaded revenge it yearned for.

NO!

* * *

She had a dream.

It was dark and cold, she didn't feel this, but knew it instinctively. The ground was barren, the dark earth burned underneath her feet. Feathery clouds floated in the black sky, covering tiny stars. She felt sad, an overwhelming sorrow that gripped her heart and twisted it mercilessly.

She knelt down, running her fingers through the hot dirt, letting the ashes fall through her loosely cupped palms. The blackened material coalesced in front of her, the particles forming together into a scythe.

It lay, bright and gleaming, on the earth. The wicked blade emerging from the ground itself, defying gravity. It rose up, the handle growing like some tree, rising like a phoenix from the ashes of death and rebirth.

Curious, she reached out, touching the smooth handle, running her fingers up to the blade as she stood up. Jenna traced the inner curve of the blade, her finger splitting on the edge, red blood smearing the mirror surface.

She didn't see the crimson liquid pooling on her finger, but rather stared at the shadow behind the scythe. It was tall and dark and cold, comprised of emptiness.

She turned away, unable to gaze upon the shadow. Unable to face it.

But it was there, again, in front of her. A shadow, a scythe. The Reaper...

She screamed, but no sound came out. She ran, but didn't move a single step. The shadow was there, in front of her, forcing her to face it.

She saw the death head.

* * *

Jenna awoke to Mia's concerned face, the healer saying comforting words that she ignored out of sheer terror. She thought she had died. She thought that the shadow was there for her.

"Jenna, calm down. It was just a dream, you are safe now." Mia smiled, tilting her head to the side.

The pilot sat up, reality quickly replacing her child like terror at a dream. She was in the med bay, the cream colored walls standing impassively around her, the hard hospital bed underneath her. Jenna raised her arms, noting the IVs attached with an unconcerned eye.

She was alone here, none of the other beds were filled. There seemed to be no staff around either. "What happened?" she asked, her mouth cottony from the pain killers.

"Your psynergy backlashed at you," Mia stated somberly, "I don't know why, but it was many more times stronger than usual."

Jenna flinched, "I was using a lot more psynergy than ususal."

"So I heard, Garet told me if you hadn't been stopped then you would have ripped right through Boreas."

"Is Garet alright?" Jenna asked, "And Ivan?"

Mia waved the two off, "Yes, yes. They're fine. Garet asked me to look after you until you woke up."

"How long has it been?" she sighed.

"Almost ten hours." Mia answered, "Everyone was really worried, you know," she continued, "you should try and take better care of yourself."

Jenna frowned, "I'll do that when we stop the Prox."

"Of course," Mia sighed, standing up, "Just remember that you don't have to do it yourself."

"I'll keep that in mind, Mia."

"Good," the healer nodded, removing the IVs from the pilot's arm, "You can go back to your quarters, I'm sure Garet will fill you in on the rest of the details while you were out." she yawned, "Right now, I'm going to bed."

"Thanks, Mia." Jenna said, genuinely grateful, as she was left alone in the med bay. She weakly stood up, her vision spinning for a second, but her legs remained steady as she walked out.

The corridors were practically deserted at this hour, and she quickly made her way to her quarters near the mech launching bay. She keyed the code into the lock panel, and the heavy door slid open without a sound.

Her quarters were small, space a valuable commodity on the floating battlestation. A small living area with kitchenette, a bathroom, and a bedroom. She didn't really spend all that much time here anyway, she thought, heating up some instant noodles.

Jenna started slurping the ramen, then lost the fight of gravity and sank into her worn couch, wondering exactly what happened after she lost consciousness. _How did they get away? What happened to Boreas, Judgement and Charon? Who the hell was Charon, by the way?_

_Why did she lose control...?_

It had happened before, the fire. That horrible night she lost her family. Fear had started it then, but now anger and hatred fueled the flames of her heart. She wanted Boreas to burn.

Not only that... she had reveled in it.

Jenna stared into her ramen, swirling the few remaining noodles around mindlessly. _Could she really be that cold, that heartless_? Boreas had killed, sure, but so had she. But Boreas had killed _Susa_, not some nameless mech foot-soldiers who hoped to outnumber her.

Susa... she sighed dejectedly, her normally fiery persona drenched in grief. It hurt, even now. She hated the feeling, hated the way it made her powerless and meek. Jenna gripped the ramen cup in her hand, crushing it in fury and throwing it onto the ground.

She stalked over to her well broken in punching bag, slamming a fist into it. Then another and another, with the occasional kick to send it swinging. Her anger washed through her, adrenaline singing through her veins. She grinned wickedly, her psynergy glowing about her in red waves.

Her limbs trembled, shaking from the strain, but she continued onwards, viciously attacking the heavy bag. She yelled at it, _screamed_, until finally collapsing in a heap, breathing through her mouth.

The glow of psynergy surrounding her faded slowly, at last flickering out like a tiny flame. She calmed, the roaring rage inside dissipating to a gentle whisper. Jenna unclenched her fist, watching the digits uncurl painfully.

Her typically fiery nature only enhanced her innate psynergy. The passion and anger inherent in fire manifested itself ten fold in her. Sometimes she could only sit back and ride the emotions.

Jenna depended on it too, it gave her strength. Gave her the power to defeat her enemies. Without it... she didn't even want to think of the possibility.

But her psynergetic strength and physical strength were not the same thing, and her body was telling her to blackout here on the floor.

She groaned as she stood up, every muscle protesting. Shuffling to her room, she stripped off her jumpsuit and tossed the clothing to the ground unceremoniously. Jenna pulled the tie out of her hair, wincing at the state of her long locks.

A few tries with a brush though, and most of the worst tangles were out. The brush joined the jumpsuit on the floor a moment later while she crawled into her bed, and pulled the thick cover over her nose.

She would deal with tomorrow, tomorrow.

* * *

The halls were deserted this late, save for the few remaining techs who pulled midnight shifts. He nodded to several of them, giving them one of his lopsided grins as he walked by.

Garet turned the corner, and nearly toppled over the yawning Mia into a pile on the tile beneath them. He reached out, steadying her, "There you are. I didn't hurt you, did I?" he asked softly to the tired woman.

The blue haired healer shook her head, "No, I'm fine. What are you doing out here so late?"

He let go of her, shoving his hands into his pockets, "I came to check up on Jenna. Is she still out of it?"

"Well that explains how you ran into me in the middle of the night on a gigantic battlestation," she laughed, a pretty lilting tone, "Don't worry, she's fine. She's most likely heading to her quarters now to get some well deserved rest."

"You mean beating the crap out of her punching bag."

"I'm not here to tell her how to unwind, Garet." she said, absentmindedly waving a dainty hand, "She does what she wants to do."

He had to agreed to that. Ever since he had known her, Jenna done what she wanted, spoke what was on her mind. She was strong, and let the world know it.

He admired that quality in her, that simple strength that seemed to come off of her letting everyone else feel it. Garet doubted anything could really hurt her, emotionally, mentally or physically.

Only once, had he seen that strength crumble away. Seen the fragility deep within her. Seen the emotions she kept out of everyone else's sight. Only once had she ever come to him, looking for comfort from the evil in the world.

Garet frowned, his thick eyebrows furrowing over his deep set dark eyes. He knew she was hurting, he had been hurting too. He may be dense at times, but he wasn't blind. Especially when you see right before you in someone else, exactly what you're feeling.

It had been hard, everything these days was. But they had found some comfort in each other, if only for a few hours. He didn't regret it, and he didn't think she did either, but the two never spoke about it. The subject taboo even now.

Jenna was too much of a fighter to be down for long, but Garet was glad he could help her, if even for a little while. Sometimes she was too resilient, too independent for her own good. _Everyone needed help once in a while, including the unsurmountable fire adept_.

"Garet?" Mia asked, waving her hand in front of his face, "You in there?"

Startled out of his pondering, he looked up and gave the healer a quick nod, "Yeah, yeah. I'm all here. Just thinking."

She smiled, holding her hands behind her back, "Don't get lost."

"Aw... A guy can only take so much in one day. Gimme a break." he moaned, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"I'm sorry," she said, a bit embarrassed, "I forgot about your little run in today."

"'Little run in'?" Garet said incredulously, "We were lucky we got out. Boreas was going to finish me, the bastard. Then that Charon guy shows up, like I couldn't handle it myself! I don't know what the hell's going on anymore. And all for some stupid outpost in the middle of nowhere."

"The survivors were grateful," Mia contradicted him, a harsh tone in her voice, "and so were the remaining DE. Even if those three took off, you still did some good."

"I know," he sighed, running a hand through his spikey hair, "I was glad Sean and Ouranos scraped by, even if I have to listen to their boasting. The DE would be _completely _useless without those two.

"But Boreas, Judgement and that Charon guy got away! They just took off somewhere! We'll never defeat them if we're constantly left behind."

"You were all injured, Garet," the water adept soothed, "following them would have been suicide."

"It doesn't matter, Mia. We're the Adepts. We are supposed to be able to handle them."

She raised a blue eyebrow, "That's quite a big ego of yours, there."

"It's the truth," he said simply, "That's our job."

She sighed, shaking her head slowly, "It's your job? Even if it means marching off to your death?"

"What? Starting to worry about little old me?" she glared at him, and so he continued more somberly, "I know what I'm doing. Someone has to stop them, Mia."

"I don't like to see people hurt, Garet."

"We'll be fine," he said self assured, "I'll make sure of it."

She frowned, then spoke hesitantly, "That's... not what I meant."

"What then?"

"It may not matter much to you, if you die," she continued softly, eyes to the ground, "But what about everyone else? What about those left behind? They have to shoulder the pain." she looked up, eyes full of tears, " Do you want to see Aaron and Kay crying at your funeral? What about Jenna? She would be devastated, like right after Susa died."

Garet paused, surprised at her emotional words. Mia was usually so happy, always ready with a joke or a smile. To see her like this...

"Hey... don't go crying yet." he hugged her, his voice comforting. _Why was she so upset_? he wondered, patting her back as she clutched his shirt. She must have lost someone very dear to her to act like this. It saddened him, the way so many were lost to the ravages of the war with Prox.

Mia's tiny village had been wiped off the face of Weyard, with her as the sole survivor. Just like Jenna had lost her whole family to a Prox raid. Garet felt out of place with all the orphans around him, but maybe he was just lucky. Although his luck could be questioned in having Kay as a sister.

She stilled, her hands gripping the fabric of his big shirt, "I must be tired." she muttered, wiping her red eyes.

He felt her pull away from him, "Yeah, why don't you go rest? I'll even walk you to your quarters to make sure you make it there."

Mia smiled up at him, big blue eyes shining even in the dim corridor, "Thanks, Garet."

* * *

Torches burned in alcoves all around the oval arched room, the deep red fires never going out or flickering in the drafts. Intricate carvings covered the thick pillars between them, strange twisting dragons and serpents inter-coiled upon each other, sharp claws and teeth seeming to snap and bite right off of the very face of the stone. The flame's light made those beasts dance.

Soft footfalls echoed in the lofty room, followed by the swirl of silk on marble. Long pale shapely legs were wrapped in violet skirts, the hem embroidered with golden threads. Unbound wavy hair hung down her back, dark as the nighttime sky.

She kneeled, her white painted face not betraying any emotion, "Your 'sons' fought."

"It was expected, we are not surprised." a deep voice, supple yet low, spoke from behind a screen bearing the insignia of Sol, "They know their place. They will do as commanded."

"Is it wise to pit them against one another, my lord?" she spoke softly, her red lips barely moving.

"You question us?" she froze at his words, a chill running down her long spine, "Soon we will have what is needed, and the Prox will be utterly defeated." he laughed, low and terrible, the sound ricocheting off the stone walls and ceiling.

"Forgive my intrusion, Emperor." she said, bowing her head low.

"_Forgive_?" he asked, his tone mocking, "We do not _forgive_, Madame."

She stilled, knowing what was coming and unable to do anything to stop it. She shut her dark eyes as the ghostly hands started to caress her shoulders, cold and hard, leaving trails of gooseflesh down her limbs.

They drew back her thick hair, exposing her pale neck to their wicked touches. She remained motionless, submission the only way to stay sane and alive. Then they traveled down her back, tracing the ridges of her spine and ribs under her thin flowing dress, her torso trembling just slightly now.

The hands became corporeal, the hot flesh touching her shivering form. She tried to block it out, tried not to feel, but the hands were there. Touch, caress, _shame_...

She silently prayed to the goddess Venus, her protector, the protector of all women, stop the hands... _Stop_...

"Send the young ones a message," his voice whispered into her ear, hot and so very near now, "'Go to the Sacred Mountain.' Send our sons there as well."

She nodded feverishly, "At once."

The hands stopped, and she fell forward sobbing onto the cold marble floor. Her disheveled hair spilled around her, the inky dark contrasting with the ivory stone. She didn't move right away, her fists clutched so hard her palms were bleeding.

His voice, behind the screen again, impatient, "We are _waiting_, Madame."

* * *

Dramatis Personae

Jenna: Megaera, Fire Adept

Felix: Deceased

Garet: Kirin, Fire Adept

Ivan: Eclipse, Wind Adept

Mia: Healer, Water Adept

Susa: Haures, Earth Adept, deceased

Hama: Commander of Western HQ, Wind Adept

Uzume: Command Liaison, Earth Adept

Kaja: Second in Command- Western HQ

Fiehzi: Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Hsu: Navigational Officer- Western HQ

Obaba: Council Chair

Babi: Council member

Faran: Council member

Akafubu: Council member

Donpa: Council member

Dodonpa: Council member

Lunpa: Council member

Moapa: Council member

Hydros: Council member

Iodem: Babi's aide

Kraden: Scholar

Briggs: Mech Communications Officer-Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Chaucha: Mech Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Defense Elite: Mech Warriors

Prox: Alien invaders, Fire Adepts

Boreas, Water Adept

Judgement?

Charon?

Anemos?

Lemuria?

Emperor?

* * *

A little shorter, but I wanted to get it up today. On with the reviews!

Cyberwolfmk: I wonder who Boreas is too, sometimes, smiles.

SpaceJoe: I'm glad I'm a favorite! Like the term Mecha-Summons, thanks!

Germs: I like writing the fight scenes, glad you are enjoying them. There are sure to be many more!

Kyarorain: Thanks for the consideration, but I think I need to put up some more chapters first. You'll all know who those mechs are soon enough...


	4. Charon

She tapped the end of her stylus idly on the table of the mission room, trying not to fall asleep during the commander's briefing. Her display blinked almost disapprovingly at her, and she scowled at it, as if her look could make the device stop and feel ashamed. _You stay awake on four hours of sleep_, she told it.

She groaned, and for the umpteenth time ran a hand through her hair, grimacing at the state it was in. Four hours of sleep, her body aching, and then the shower spouts ice cold water! If she didn't feel so horrible, heads would be flying.

"Jenna, please pay attention." Hama said icily, the words an order rather than a request.

"Yes, ma'am. Sorry, ma'am."

Garet and Ivan snickered, neither one looking the worse for wear after the encounter yesterday. She glared at them across the table, and they immediately stopped, knowing what an enraged Jenna was fully capable of.

"Orders from Command came in two hours ago," Hama continued from the head of the long table, fingers busily inputing data to her display, "Recon mission, level four classified. Coordinates are forty-one degrees, forty-seven minutes north, and eighty-seven degrees, forty-five minutes west. Megaera, Kirin, and Eclipse are leading with DE support."

Garet groaned loudly, and Hama pointedly ignored him, "The DE will be your support and back up."

"What are the mission objectives?" Jenna asked, already entering the coordinates into her display. She frowned, why were they going into the middle of an isolated mountain range?

"First objective is to confirm the presence of a vein of psynergy the satellite scans picked up from orbit." Hama said as the display zeroed in on the vein, glowing like some malignant growth on the inside of the 3D mountain, "Second objective is to investigate the recent Proxian activity in the area, possibly connected to said psynergy vein."

"That's easy enough," Garet smirked, "And here I thought it was going to be a challenge this time."

"Yeah," Ivan echoed, "I mean, do we really have to waste our time-"

"That's enough, Ivan," Hama interrupted her brother, "These are orders straight from command. I don't want to hear your complaining."

Ivan sputtered, red faced and angry, "I was just saying-"

"And I said that was enough. Don't question your commander."

The blonde stared at his sister for a moment, then suddenly stood up, pushing his chair back, and stalked out of the mission room. Jenna hardly had time to react, "I-Ivan!" she called, starting to get up herself.

Hama stopped her though with a wave of her hand, "Let him go. If he wants to act like a child, let him."

She sat down slowly, eyebrows furrowed. Garet glanced between the commander and the door, unsure if he should risk the wrath of the formidable woman. He decided against it though, turning back to his display wearily.

Jenna cleared her throat, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had descended on them, "When will we be leaving?"

Hama sighed, "1100 hours. Rendezvous with DE at 1135 hours at 3 degrees south of target. Fiehzi will be your communication operator."

"What was the Proxian activity?" Garet spoke up, leaning back casually in his chair.

"Apparently the satellites have picked up scattered mech psynergy signals for the past several days throughout the surrounding area," she keyed the findings to her display, the psynergy lines appearing on the screen.

Jenna didn't like what she saw. The lines were too regular, spiraling outwards. "They are looking for something there."

Nodding, Hama agreed, "Exactly what the scan techs pronounced."

"But they haven't done anything," Garet said, confused, "If those Prox bastards wanted the psynergy, they would've already started mining for it. These images don't show any surface disturbance at all."

"Unless, they aren't after the psynergy..." Jenna trailed off, "Is there anything else at that mountain?"

"Records came up empty," the commander shook her head, "As far as we know, not a single person has ever even been there."

"Great," Garet groaned.

"If there isn't even a settlement, then we have no claim over that area," Jenna said, "Going there would needlessly provoke the Prox. Don't get me wrong, I'd like to see their skulls cracked open, but should we be investigating this?"

"Orders from Madame Uzume herself," Hama said fatalistically, "Straight from the Emperor."

"Yeah, we know. 'Chain of command' and everything," Garet leaned back in his chair, "Who thinks this stuff up, huh?"

"Someone with more brain power than yourself." Jenna replied, smirking.

"I believe that was a rhetorical question, Jenna," Hama spoke absently, not noticing the 'hmph' from the burly pilot, "You have free time until the mission. Go eat something more substantial than ramen and caffeine."

"Yes, ma'am." the two fire adepts echoed.

Hama nodded and left, the automatic door swooshing shut with a little burst of air. Garet turned to Jenna and grinned mischievously. She quirked a dark eyebrow at him, "What are you planning now?" she asked.

"Why don't we take a little trip to the cafeteria?"

"She treats me like a little kid," Ivan complained, sitting atop one of the sturdy stools in the med bay, "I can never do anything right."

"I doubt that," Mia replied, tinkering with one of the old ice boxes, "Hama is a very fair person, even if she is a bit cold."

"Frigid, more like."

"She just wants you to treat her with respect as your commander. I don't think she meant to embarrass you, it's not like her."

Ivan sulked, not wanting to admit the healer was right. He just didn't know exactly how to separate Hama, the sister, and Hama, the commander, yet.

_He shouldn't have walked out on them_, he realized, _that didn't prove anything_. They all probably thought him to be childish now. He flushed, embarrassed at his behavior, and angry that he reacted so badly to Hama's words.

"Don't worry about it, Ivan," Mia soothed, "you're only fifteen. Everyone acts like that at your age."

"I thought _I_ was the mind reader."

Mia laughed, "I didn't really need to read your mind. It was written all over your face." she popped the cover back onto the control of the cooler, and the apparatus whirred back to life, "That should do it!" she grinned triumphantly. The healer picked up the heavy metal tub, but barely, "Grab the plastic insert, will you?" she asked, gesturing with her head.

"Sure." Ivan picked up the insert and followed Mia to the sample storage room. Shelves filled with tissue samples lined the walls, each snug in their cooling units. Clouds of cold air sluiced slowly to the floor, and the blonde shivered, "It's freezing in here! How can you stand it?"

Mia just smiled, placing the ice box onto one of the shelves with a clunk, "I like it in here, the cold reminds me of home."

"Oh," Ivan handed her the insert sheepishly, "That's good, I guess. I don't remember living anywhere else except on HQ."

The healer carefully clicked the insert back into place, "Imil was far north, and very cold all year long." nostalgia filled her soft voice, "We used to build snowmen and igloos, or chase the penguins across the ice.

"Sometimes we would sneak out of the village late at night," she whispered, staring ahead into nothingness, "And watch the aurora dance across the sky."

Her face softened, and a tiny smile crossed her lips. "You must miss it." Ivan said somberly, watching her countenance change with sad eyes.

Mia nodded, then looked at him, "Home is... home. Even though it is gone now, I still hold the memories dear to me."

"Was it the Prox?"

The pretty healer frowned, "I can't say for sure, I was...I was out of the village." she said quickly, "When I returned, there was no village anymore. Just snow as far as the eyes could see."

"You were the only survivor?" Ivan asked incredulously.

She shut her eyes, tears glistening, "Yes..."

"I'm sorry." he said lamely.

"It's alright," Mia replied, "We were foolish, thinking that the Prox would never find us on the snowfields. We were wrong."

"That's no excuse, Mia!" Ivan exclaimed, "They had no right to kill you all! How can you just sit there and accept it!"

"I am a healer, Ivan. I took an oath never to intentionally harm another living being, never to even want to cause harm," she said honestly, "That includes the Prox."

"But-"

"-My tribe was known for their gentle natures and healing abilities. I would be betraying my ancestor's, and my own, very philosophy to go out seeking revenge." she paused, "And I can't do that."

Ivan stood there, confused and not knowing what to say to her. Horrific crimes had been committed to the most gentle person he had ever known, and she didn't want the perpetrators to suffer like she had for it. _How could she just accept it?_

"I don't expect you to understand, Ivan" she continued, "I don't even expect you to take my philosophy as your own. But, just think on it. Does revenge ever really solve anything? All that we can do is help those who are hurt, that actually does good in the world." she said pointedly, looking him right in the eye.

He didn't have an answer to that.

"Jenna, really you can eat it," Garet spoke around his own mouthful of food, "It's good."

They sat in the crowded public cafeteria in HQ, the stiff chairs and multicolored trays of the eating establishment familiar. One of the lights overhead flickered on and off occasionally, and the viewscreen in the corner played some patriotic propaganda, the notes of _March of Weyard _in the background.

"From you, that phrase is meaningless," Jenna snapped back at him, "You'll eat anything."

He shrugged, looking up from his gigantic pile of spaghetti and meatballs, "Well, if we left you to your own devices, then you'd eat nothing but ramen, and drink coffee all day long."

"So?"

Sighing melodramatically, Garet pointed a finger at her, "Look at what you are eating now! Even the commander says something and you go ahead and have buttered noodles and black coffee! Hama will have my hide if she finds out."

"Oh, and for a moment there I thought you cared." she said sarcastically, twirling the noodles with a fork.

"I _do _care." he said earnestly, but not looking at her from across the worn tabletop, "You need to take better care of yourself, and it's not just the eating habits I'm talking about."

"Stop talking like that, Garet," the female pilot moaned, "Besides, I've already heard this a million times from, oh, just about every single person on HQ." _And some besides that as well..._

"I know, stop lecturing," he laughed, waving a hand in front of him. Unfortunately that hand was connected to a fork that had previously been connected to a rather large meatball, that now resided in Jenna's lap.

One second...two...

Then the indignant shout of a now noodley-haired Garet.

The mountains were very picturesque from several thousand feet up in the air. Simply a blue line on the horizon until, suddenly, there they were, straight and tall and jaggedly ripping into the cerulean sky. Still early in the year, the peaks sported a covering of snow, making them blend in with the cirrus far behind them.

Jenna was becoming twitchy, sitting still for so long did not suit her at all. Even in Megaera, she was restless over the miles and miles of ocean and desert and plains she had to fly over. The others had fared better, bantering over the com easily.

Ivan seemed in a far better mood since he stormed off, and was trading jokes with a still slightly sulky Garet. She followed their conversation absently, finally switching off when Ivan started up a round of _99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall_, most likely to annoy Garet.

The three of them were in the lead, but followed by a dozen members of the DE. They flew their identical mechs, stripes of color on the bulky torso the only differentiation among them.

Her visor blinked red, and a circle of yellow shifted down to her left, settling around a mountain on the horizon. _Target in range. Distance: 237._

"We're in range," she said, flipping her com back on to catch the last of a verse of Ivan's song, "Keep your eyes open. We don't want to be surprised."

"Sure thing, Megaera." Garet replied professionally. He flew Kirin to a flanking position on her right. Ivan came up on her left.

"Scan confirms psynergy signature," Ouranos spoke from his lead of the DE, "Sean, take 3,4,7, and 8 and find out exactly just how far that vein goes."

"Roger, that, captain," Sean said cheerily, "Red 3,4,7, and 8. You're coming with me."

"The rest of you are with us," the DE captain continued once the five flew off, "Stay sharp, people."

The target mountain seemed like any other, perhaps taller but that was it. The three Adepts circled above the summit, vultures to anyone watching from below. The DE mechs spread out, scanners coming from beneath the armor.

"Kirin, Eclipse, let's have a closer look." Jenna said, eager to get the actual mission underway.

"Sounds good." Garet replied, closer and closer to the peak.

Ivan flew off a little ways, Eclipse shining brightly purple in the thin air and harsh sunlight. He hovered over the ragged rock face, then sent out testing tendrils of wind, trying to find anything unusual.

Garet used a bit more forceful approach, his large mech quite capable of manhandling its way into impossible looking crevices and caves. If a certain area proved to be a bit difficult, fire expedited his course.

Jenna herself relied on her eyes, probing the cracks and endless stretches of gray and black. She knew what she was looking at, the charcoal relief bringing up memories...

_She was excited, her mother and father finally had a few days off of work and were taking all of them to the weathered mountains outside of the city. _

_Jenna could hardly keep still in the air car ride, bouncing up and down on the soft seat, and straining against the restraint. She continuously glanced out the small window to her left, her face so close that her breath fogged up the glass._

_A slight moan at her right made her turn around, a sudden mischievous grin on her little face. Jenna reached over to her brother, fast asleep, and lifted his eyelid a little bit, watching the eye roll back. She giggled, amused at her new little game._

"_Jenna, don't do that, he's sleeping." her mother chided, from up front._

_She nodded solemnly back, but knew her mother was amused as well. The tiny laugh lines and creases around her eyes showed. Besides, it wasn't her fault if Felix always fell asleep in the air car, leaving her with nothing to do but stare out the window._

_After an eternity to the young Jenna, they reached the mountains. The peaks worn down by wind and water, now just slightly round and covered in trees and grass and flowers._

_There was an old log cabin, its rustic outside a facade covering the completely modern inside. The technology was quite necessary, the only warning the inhabitants would have of bad weather conditions or even the Prox._

_The young girl bounded out of the air car as soon as her father released her restraint, and ran to the tiny mountain stream she heard burbling nearby. She leaned over the clear water, watching the tiny plants swirl in the current, and the occasional bug glide past._

"_What are you looking at?" Felix asked, yawning and rubbing one dark eye._

"_Everything!" she grinned, picking up a nearby stick and poking it into the stream bottom. Tiny clouds of sand appeared, then vanished just as quickly._

"_C'mon, you need to help unpack."_

_She frowned, "You're no fun." Then stuck out her tongue at him, and giggled._

_The family unpacked the air car, filling up the tiny cabin in no time at all. Soon, after the meal eaten outdoors and the rapid darkening of the sky, she lay awake, listening to the tiny noises outside. Minuscule sounds one only heard away from civilization, breaking the strange silence one never really quite gets used to away from the roads and other people._

Not like the constant mechanical hum surrounding her now, the other voices over the com, or the gale like winds this high up running across Megaera, whistling and screeching at the same time. She sighed, sad memories playing in her mind. Memories of happier times.

Even now she had a soft spot for mountains, never really able to dissociate them from the ignorant blissful days of her short lived childhood.

Jenna lost herself in her thoughts, and let Garet and Ivan do the work for now. She only half-watched them meticulously inspect the mountainside, _well as meticulously as those two could_, she thought wryly.

"Garet! Watch where those boulders are going!"

"Take it easy, Ivan. 'Sides, what are little itty bitty rocks to a Wind Adept, huh?"

Jenna was about to join in, but Ouranos spoke up first, "Hey, you two. Keep your bickering to yourself, we don't wanna-What?"

Attention instantly on the DE captain, Jenna asked, "What is it?"

"Scanners confirmed the psynergy vein. Spectra at 445.63 ppm. That's only plus or minus .02E-67 percent off of the standard. But," he paused, confused, " it's located in an unnatural vertical shaft."

"English please." Jenna snapped.

Ouranos sounded sheepish, "Sorry, sometimes I let the technical stuff take over. It's psynergy alright, but it seems to be in one of those ancient mine shaft things."

"I thought this place was never supposed to have been inhabited." Garet muttered.

"The scans say the shafts were made about fifteen hundred years ago, give or take a century."

"That doesn't make sense," Ivan added, "people back then couldn't have made those."

"He's right," Jenna frowned, vaguely remembering her Ancient Civilization course, "the native peoples of Angara were really just farmers at that point."

"Hey, I'm no history buff, but if you two say so," Ouranos conceded, "I'm just reporting what my scan techs are telling me."

"There's nothing on this stupid mountain, and we confirmed the psynergy vein. So isn't the mission done? Why don't we let the scholars bash their heads against concrete walls, and get out of here?" Garet suggested.

"Leader?" Ouranos asked.

Jenna liked that idea, something about this place wasn't right. It was the geology, the mines, or something that didn't bode well with her, "Gather up your men, captain."

"Roger that."

The wind picked up as they left the mountain range, rolling down from the peaks to the plains below. Forest canopies rippled like waves in a dark green sea, untouched by the ravages of the rest of Weyard.

But Garet really didn't notice this, more concerned with Jenna's behavior as of late. Sure, she was never the optimistic bright person that Mia was, she had always contained a deep-rooted cynical nature. Not that the burly pilot could blame her, but recently she had gotten worse.

She never really rested or ate anymore, and seemed constantly on edge. And the pressure and stress of these missions couldn't help. He wondered what he could do, but couldn't come up with anything.

He didn't have too much time to think upon it though, a frantic high pitched bleeping appeared on his visor, "He have incoming!" he shouted, "Straight ahead, looks like a dozen or so."

"I have them too," Jenna replied, "Ouranos, take your men away, but be prepared to come back into a flanking position. Maybe we can catch them off guard."

"Yes, ma'am."

The DE spread out, disappearing among the low clouds. Soon they were invisible to sensors, hidden, a trap.

Eclipse prepared himself, the tell tale purple glow faint but definitely there, Megaera did the same, her bright red psynergy whipping out form her, flailing at the air around her, trying to find a target, restless and angry.

Garet allowed his own psynergy to grow and expand, feeling the familiar rush of adrenaline shoot through him. He smirked, _there was no way those bastards would get the better of him this time, no never again._

A heartbeat... two...

The enemy showed on the horizon, a mere speck at first, then suddenly growing. The mechs fearsome and haughty in their heavy armor, glowing with psynergy. They stopped a short distance away, two Proxians plus their drones.

"Come for round two?" Boreas asked, "Didn't you get beaten enough last time?"

"Just keep on talking, Boreas. That mouth of yours is what is going to kill you." Garet snarled, barely restraining himself.

"Why are you here, Boreas?" Jenna asked, ignoring the mudslinging for now, "There's nothing here."

"Ah, dearest Megaera. Why, I came to see you!"

"Cut the bullshit."

"Language, language! A lady shouldn't swear." he mocked, "Besides, I could ask the same of you."

"We're not here to answer your questions, you Prox bastard." Garet cut in, letting the psynergy around him grow as a warning, "Get out of here before I make you leave."

"But you must be mistaken," Boreas continued blithely, "We are a dozen to your three. You are greatly outnumbered. I would suggest you be the one to leave."

_Oh really? _Garet mocked in his head, listening to Jenna give orders over the private line, _You are in for a surprise..._

"We can take on all of you!" Ivan shouted, the wind suddenly stopping.

"Don't bite off more than you can chew, little Eclipse. We wouldn't want you to choke now, would we?" Boreas laughed.

The ten drones spread out automatically at a wave from Boreas, circling around the five of them. "Well, let's get started, shall we, Judgement?"

"We're in place, Jenna," Ouranos said over the private com, "Just tell us when."

"I really hate to do this to you, Boreas," Jenna said sickenly sweet, "But I think I'll get over it."

"Do what dear Megaera?" The ice mech laughed, "surely you aren't talking about those hidden DE you have, are you?"

_Fuck! _Garet thought in his mind, _They know. But we still outnumber them... we can pull this off..._

"I suppose I've hit a nerve..." Boreas muttered, "But you aren't mad yet, are you? Because in a moment I will give even more reason to lash out! Oh, I can't wait!"

A flash of light flew out from him, bright yellow and green. A moment later the strangled sounding screams from the DE as they fell out of the sky.

"See? Wasn't that fun?"

"What the fuck did you do to them!" Garet shouted, desperately trying to hail the DE on the private com... none were answering.

"Now now, that would be telling! I can't give away all my secrets now can I?" Boreas said. Garet could just imagine him shaking his finger and smirking from inside his mech. "Unless, lovely Megaera would like to know, personally." he continued suggestively.

"Not if you were the last _thing _on the face of Weyard." she said stonily, the psynergy flaring around her even more.

"A pity," he sighed melodramatically.

Garet barely had time to draw a breath before the ice mech attacked, ice spears at the ready. He was suddenly so close, and Garet could only throw up his fire as a shield around him, hearing the siss as the ice rapidly melted away, only to be replaced by new spears as Boreas prepared a second assault.

Jenna however, was well prepared, her fire psynergy wrapping around Boreas, holding him in its fiery clutches. Garet got out of immediate striking range, then joined Jenna, holding the ice mech immobile.

Ivan sent out a blast of air, sending the drones back after their initial advance. He followed up with a storm of lightening, blue-white and cackling. But he wasn't strong enough to hold all the drones off, and some broke free of the electricity, the pungent odor of ozone clinging to their mechanical bodies. The drones attacked him, halting the flow of lightening slightly.

Garet broke away from his psynergetic link with Jenna, pouring a vast amount of his energy at the last moment. Streams of fire erupted from his mech's fingertips, twisting and twirling in the cold air before striking the drones. Several fell from the sky, but not nearly enough.

"Ivan!" he called out, nearly shaking at the amount of psynergy he was using, "Try to hold them off as long as possible! Jenna and me'll take care of Boreas!"

"What about Judgement!" Ivan called back, his strain at keeping up the storm apparent in his boyish voice.

"Damn it!" Garet shouted to no one in particular as the aforementioned mech slashed him at his side, the psynergy trail burning his skin in a eerie mirror of Kirin's injury. He gritted his teeth against the pain and counterattacked, a blast of magma that hit Judgement right in the chest.

Garet was about to follow up his hit when another blast of yellow-green light blinded him. He faltered for a half second, not knowing why Boreas would be trying his tricks again. The burly pilot got his answer though, when Ivan gave an indignant shout, "The drones are gone!"

His vision clearing, Garet watched the drones disappearing far below him, underneath the thick clouds. He stared after them, confused, _what the hell just happened_?

"Charon, you fucker!" Boreas shouted from within his fiery cage, "No one asked you to interfere!"

Sure enough, the earth mech was there, yellow surrounding him, "No one asked your opinion, Boreas," he sneered, raising his glowing fist, "And I sure as hell don't have to answer to the likes of you!"

"Bastard!" Boreas screamed with rage, breaking free of Jenna's hold on him. The ice mech lunged forward, slashing ice blade to earth sword with the newcomer, Charon.

Garet heard Jenna hailing the DE over the private line, but paid no attention to her desperate shouts and curses. _Just another life gone, that she'll blame herself for..._

Ivan was as quiet as Jenna was vocal, merely floating there, seemingly amazed at the fight in front of him. Garet couldn't agree more, amazed at the power the two mechs possessed. However, this line of thought brought him back to another problem, Judgement.

The silent mech had recovered from Garet's blast, none the worse for wear. If anything he seemed remarkably well.

"Hey, Judgy," Garet taunted, "Your friend there got his panties in a twist or something?"

Garet didn't expect an answer, so when Judgement quietly spoke he was shocked, "He is _not _my friend."

"What?" Jenna whispered over the private line, "It can't be..."

Garet shared her disbelief. It was like a voice from the dead came back, and it sent shivers down his spine. _He sounded like Susa..._

He couldn't move, he couldn't breathe, Garet just repeated the same words in his head, the fresh pain tearing into him again and again. _Susa is dead... Susa is dead... dead..._

_His best friend was _dead

"No!" Garet shouted frantically, "You're dead! You can't be here!"

Judgement merely floated there, and didn't answer while Garet raged at him, and Charon and Boreas fought, and Jenna whispered to herself, and Ivan watched silently. The two mechs faced off, nothing else mattered as Garet wished he could stare into Judgement and see for himself.

However, time goes on, even when you don't notice its passing, and Charon and Boreas' fight drew closer. Garet had to lunge out of the way to avoid the errant ice spears Boreas was throwing haphazardly around, trying to hit Charon. Judgement had disappeared.

This seemed to snap Jenna out of it as well, "Let's help him!"

"Charon?" Ivan asked, a bit dazed.

"Why bother helping that bastard? He just took off on us last time!" Garet replied.

"I don't care, his enemy is Boreas," she said, "so is ours."

"He may not like it..." Ivan started.

"I don't care if he likes it or not! And this is an order!"

Garet frowned, trying to concentrate on his psynergy. He reached inside himself, pulling at that red hot place in his chest, feeling the heated flow rush through him like a sweep of fire. And then he let it lash out at Boreas, feeling Jenna join him and the strange tingle of Ivan's alien wind psynergy as well.

The three hit Boreas just as Charon did. The result was a cataclysmic clash of psynergy directly on the ice mech.

But their victory was short lived as Boreas suddenly just winked out. There one second and gone the next.

"How-Wha-The HELL!" Garet shouted incoherently, staring at the spot Boreas had just disappeared from.

"Charon," Jenna asked testily, "What the FUCK just happened? And don't you dare run off this time."

The three surrounded the earth mech, cutting off any escape. But Charon didn't really look like he was going to escape, "He teleported. And before you ask, no I cannot."

"Teleported?" Ivan wondered, "Where?"

"Most likely back to the Prox base."

"You seem to know a lot, Charon." Jenna said accusingly.

"Like you said, he is my enemy. There is no reason to suspect me."

"What do you mean, 'no reason to suspect you'?" Garet snarled, "You can obviously listen in on our private lines, you seem to have some history with our enemy, and you have a Proxian mech. What is there not to suspect? Who the fuck are you?"

Charon answered without hesitation, "My name is Isaac. And I was sent by the Emperor."

Dramatis Personae

Jenna: Megaera, Fire Adept

Isaac: Charon, Earth Adept

Felix: Deceased

Garet: Kirin, Fire Adept

Ivan: Eclipse, Wind Adept

Mia: Healer, Water Adept

Susa: Haures, Earth Adept, deceased

Hama: Commander of Western HQ, Wind Adept

Uzume: Command Liaison, Earth Adept

Kaja: Second in Command- Western HQ

Fiehzi: Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Hsu: Navigational Officer- Western HQ

Obaba: Council Chair

Babi: Council member

Faran: Council member

Akafubu: Council member

Donpa: Council member

Dodonpa: Council member

Lunpa: Council member

Moapa: Council member

Hydros: Council member

Iodem: Babi's aide

Kraden: Scholar

Briggs: Mech Communications Officer-Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Chaucha: Mech Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Defense Elite: Mech Warriors

Ouranos: DE captain

Sean: DE sergeant

Prox: Alien invaders, Fire Adepts

Boreas?, Water Adept

Judgement?

Anemos?

Lemuria?

Emperor?

Thanks for bearing with me! Life is hectic, and I try to get the chapters out ASAP, but that obviously doesn't happen all the time. Hopefully this one won't sit around like LBM, so keep the reviews coming, and the next chapter will be out! A little glimpse of what is to come: _The other side..._

Cyberwolfmk: I can't tell you if Felix is alive or dead! That would ruin the plot! Sorry, but you'll just have to be patient. ;) And I am just kidding about Boreas. :)

SpaceJoe: Sorry it took so long to update! And I hope you enjoy the chapter! I hope Boreas isn't too hard to figure out, I never meant for him to be!

Flora and Jupiter Vixen: Nice guesses, and you'll see that one of them is definitely right! I can't tell you if their will be lighthouseshipping, cause that too would give away the plot. But there will not be windshipping in any of my stories. Thanks for the other review, too!

Winter Rose: I like your name:). And yes, pretty much everyone will be in the story eventually, including Sheba and Piers/Picard. You'll have to wait for them though.


	5. Another Side

A kick, leg fully extended and straight. A punch, fist closed and landing hard. A parry, as the opponent counters. Step up, back, and to the right. One, two, and three.

Long maroon hair swept into harsh maroon eyes, a distracted hand brushing it away. A smirk from the other side, knowing. _Striking back now, retribution_. Swinging back and lunging forward, and swinging forward and lunging back.

Background a blur, colors mixing and shifting, only the other side in stark relief. Heart pounding and blood boiling, ears ringing not able to hear anything but the gasps and grunts all around. Limbs aching and tingling at once, wanting-_needing_ to go on.

Again and again, over and over, hands and feet just missing, one advancing and one retreating.

Again and again... over and over...

"That's enough," a feminine voice said, "Stop now."

Stepping back, tunnel vision widening, bloodlust weakening.

"You did well, sister."

She nodded, fulfillment growing from deep inside. Glancing to her opponent, she saw him nod in agreement, confirming her prowess. Elation sang through her, her vain heart growing stronger with each passing second.

She bowed deeply to the other three in the room, first to show respect, second to show humility, and third because she was expected to. Then she straightened, standing tall in the presence of her peers, letting them know she was now entitled to such.

Her sister smiled, a mere twist of her lips, "We acknowledge your power, Karst."

The Proxian's pride swelled, and she barely heard the other two repeat her sister's words in the large circular chamber, masculine voices echoing off the stone walls. She would no longer be little Karst_ine_, sister to Menardi. She was Karst now, her coming of age complete.

Her opponent was breathing heavily, massive barrel chest heaving up and down. His shock of pale blue hair drooping into his angular face. Karst glanced at him through the corner of her eyes, _too rough for you, Agatio? _she thought.

He seemed to read her thoughts and laughed quietly, a deep rumble that was barely audible in the cavernous room.

A delicate hand touched her scaly shoulder, making Karst spin around abruptly only to come face to face with her beautiful sister. Tall and slender, but still strongly built, Menardi was quite the opposite of her younger sister. Karst was short and a bit stocky, never coming into the womanly grace her sister seemed so easily capable of.

Physical differences aside, the two sisters were very much alike in personality. Both quick to temper, and strongly opinionated, both willing to do anything for Prox. Both fiercely protective of each other.

"I am proud of you, Karst." Menardi said in an uncharacteristic voice, "We all are." she motioned to Agatio and Saturos, the latter laughing good-naturedly at the former.

"Thank you, Menardi." Karst grinned wickedly, showing off her canines.

"Now why don't you get cleaned up? You stink like the fifth circle of Hades," she complained elegantly, back to her usual self.

* * *

Pink hued feet touched the rough hewn stone floor, never chilled. A bath and a change of clothes later, Karst walked the arched hallways back to her sister and Saturos. The two were holding audience in the war room with one of the humans, back from a failed mission.

She pulled at the collar of her new starched blue robes, not knowing how Menardi wore these constantly and didn't suffocate. The formal robes constricted her movements, _how was she supposed to fight in these? _She could be ambushed in the base and overpowered easily.

Ranks of drones marched by, their large glossed over eyes staring into nothing in front of them, lazy feet shuffling along. They parted instinctively for her, bulky hulking forms yielding to her own smaller one.

They passed by silently, even the tiny slap of their feet timed in unison to create the smallest noise possible. Karst waited impatiently for their passing, unable to maneuver her way between their leaden ranks.

The last two reached her and she smiled wickedly, deftly reaching out a pink leg, and effectively tripping the drone to her right. She laughed as the hulking golem fell, not even attempting to catch itself before it hit the hard floor.

Karst stepped over the lump, not even glancing back to see it sluggishly rise and shuffle after its kindred, joining the rank silently.

She continued down the hall, not noticing the shadow in one of the many alcoves until it spoke, his voice strong but quiet, "You are cruel."

She stopped and rose an eyebrow, "They are drones, nothing more. They exist only to serve Prox. I can do with them as I please."

"You are still cruel."

She glared at the shadow, "I do not require your input, _garusia_," she spat out the last word in her native tongue, knowing full well he took offense.

The shadow shifted, black on a darker black, and barely seen even to her excellent Proxian eyes, "My mistake, _Karstine_."

She raged at his familiar use of her full name, but held her peace, for now, "You would do well to remember that," she spoke slowly and cautiously before turning away from him. The shadow did not answer.

* * *

"You were sent to find the hidden sanctum, were you not?" Menardi asked, flicking away a strand of her long blonde hair, "Why did you return without this information, Alex?"

The Water Adept narrowed his blue eyes, "We were ambushed and outnumbered. I'm no use to you dead, now am I?"

"Apparently you are of no use to us alive either," Saturos snapped, rising from his lounging position on the Proxian couch1, "How were you ambushed and outnumbered? We sent enough drones with you. You also had the disruption wave. What could have possibly gone wrong this time?"

Menardi rose with her lover, glaring at the human with contempt in her red eyes. Alex stared back at her evenly, knowing she was never fond of his presence, "Isaac showed up. Complete with his own disruption wave. He destroyed the drones you sent along. Not to mention, that son of a bitch you insist on sending along with me took off! He didn't even help me one second!"

"It is not his job to help you Alex," Menardi said, wrapping an arm around Saturos and leaning on the muscular Proxian's chest, "He is there to keep you in line. Nothing else."

"The scar-faced bastard hates me."

"That is not our concern, Alex," Saturos told him, "It is your own fault that he feels that way."

The Water Adept's back molars were grinding together, a satisfying rasping grating through his skull. _How dare these Proxians treat him so! They wouldn't even know there was a Sol Sanctum if not for him! Damned bastards..._

"Look, Saturos," Menardi said sweetly, whispering into his ear, "You've made the human angry."

He chuckled at her, "So it seems."

"If you two are quite done," Alex spit out disgusted, "I would like to know what you plan on doing about the ever increasing numbers of enemies? Or have you not been able to think that far ahead?" he sneered.

"Time for business?" Menardi sighed disappointedly.

Saturos nodded to her, "Unfortunately, dearest." He disentangled himself from her, and moved swiftly to the multitudes of ceiling high displays and the large holographic map dominating the center of the war room.

Weyard appeared in monochrome hues, mountains and oceans, craters and deserts. Ice fields to the far north and south, and the falls surrounding all, drawing ever closer to consuming whatever existed upon the plateau.

The three gathered around the detailed map, the light shining upwards reflected in their eyes and casting shadows onto the worn carvings in the walls. Alex rested his gloved hands on the edge of the map, digits disappearing into the holographic mist beyond the falls.

The Proxian base showed in glaring reds, a twisting mass of tunnels below the ice fields of the north. Tiny spidery veins reached outwards, coalescing at psynergy sites, the holograph showing the steady flow in minute detail.

The map zoomed in on an isolated mountain range south of their current position, partially transparent images gaining solidity as they came into focus. "This is where your supposed Sol Sanctum resides, is it not Alex?" Saturos asked, not even looking up from the display controls.

He put on a fake charming smile, "Supposed? The ancient sanctum is there, within it all the power of the Anemos."

"This Stone of Sages, that you keep telling us about, resides in this sanctum, does it not?" Menardi asked, staring him down over the display.

Alex met her glare, "Yes, Menardi. And with it, the power to bring the traitor to justice."

"Do not speak of what you do not know!" Menardi growled at him, temper rising, "Do not speak his foul name in front of us, in your foul tongue!"

"Be still, dearest," Saturos quickly broke in, knowing how her temper could consume her, "It is not worth your anger."

She quieted, but still shook a fist at the Water Adept, "Do not speak of Proxian business in front of me again human, that is if you wish to keep your head upon your shoulders."

I would like to see you best me in battle, he thought but forced himself to speak with all the servility and humility in Weyard, "Of course, Mistress."

Saturos eyed the two of them wearily, tired of stepping in, "This increase in the human's numbers concerns me. There are not many Prox here in Weyard, and our resources are limited. We have been fighting ever since our forebearers came here, and even with the long life afforded to us, it has been too long. We need a way to end this now."

"The Stone of Sages," Alex replied quickly, "will end this tiresome war, Saturos." End it all...

"We have no proof this stone exist, save your word, Alex," Menardi hissed at him, "And I do not take that for truth."

"If you do not believe me, ask the Lemurian," Alex shrugged, feigning indifference but seething inside, "or the psychic. They will tell you of it's power."

"We would not be seriously considering your proposal if we already had not, Alex." Saturos sighed, "If the stories are true, then it would truly end the war and bring the traitor to justice."

Alex smirked inwardly, gloating at how easily he had the tired Prox wrapped around his finger, at how simple it was to manipulate them to his ends. They only cared for the punishment of their traitor, how small their thinking was!

A subtle change in the overhead lighting alerted the three to intruders. Alex bowed graciously, but his voice still had those ever-present mocking tones, "Ah Karst, how nice of you to join us."

She snapped red eyes at him, a scowl on her pointed face, "_Esera iy feseei, aesi_."

"Karst! _Uessi siaa ruagekeea, isaisaf uursa rees feesurai_." Menardi chided her.

"_Ras_."

"You look lovely as usual, _Dearest_ Karst." Alex goaded.

"_Aesi_." she spat at him.

"Every word from that sweet mouth is like a symphony to my humble ears." He purred, reaching for her hand and caressing it.

Karst snapped her hand away immediately, then formed it into a fist. She was inches from pounding Alex's fine features when a beefy hand curled around her slender wrist. "Stop this." from Agatio.

"For once I must agree with our jolly giant," the water adept commented unnecessarily, looking mock appalled and affronted at Karst's behavior.

The volatile fire adept whipped her hand out of Agatio's hold, and proceeded to ignore him. Alex only raised one blue eyebrow.

"If we could?" Saturos said, hoping his peers had gotten their measure of taunting for the day, "Very well then," he nodded when he heard a series of grunts or muffled affirmations, or in Menardi's case a sensual whisper to his pointed ear, "The Stone of Sages?" he asked in his heavily accented voice.

"We do not need it brother," Karst spoke to him but glared at Alex as she was saying it, "The Prox are mighty enough."

"I never said the Prox were not mighty, dearest Karst," Alex soothed, "Just think of the power that would be yours with the legendary strength of the ancient's stone."

"We are not here to play power games, human," Karst snapped, stepping forward in challenge to the water adept, "Our agenda is more noble than you give us credit for."

A heavy hand on her shoulder stopped her from moving forward anymore, "But perhaps this stone's power can bring an end to the war and the traitor to justice." Agatio said, diffusing some of the tension in the war room.

Alex's face broke out into a grin, an unlikely ally but one nonetheless, "Bravo, Agatio! For someone who enjoys fighting as much as you do, you have quite the level head."

The burly Proxian stared at him, but said nothing in reply. Alex merely shrugged it off, content that his side was being considered.

"The fact remains though," Menardi started from her position at Saturos' side, "That our revered forefathers knew of the Stone of Sages, but chose not to use it due to the chaos and destruction that result from its power being exploited."

"Superstitious nonsense," Alex waved her concerns off, "There are no ill effects to using the stone, just lies and gossip spread by those without the mental facilities to truly appreciate the awesome power that can be gained.

"The Stone of Sages," he continued, "Is the most powerful resource in Weyard. It combines the four elements-water, wind, fire, and earth- into one. It is separate, and yet greater than its four components.

"The Ancients who came to Weyard used this power," Alex's voice was growing stronger, more conceited, "They exploited it to their own ends, and thus we have the world known to us today.

"We can have that force," He said, the passion rising, "And _nothing _will ever be out of your reach, _nothing _ever out of your sight."

* * *

The oval chamber seemed suddenly small and constricting, the air was difficult to breathe. Patterned carvings and tiny eyes seemed to rove upon the pillars, the creature's metal skin glowing in the low light and deep shadows.

The frictionless marble floor was frigid compared to the overwhelming heat seeping from the walls and ceiling, and especially from behind the ornate screen.

Uzume shivered in the oppressive room, head bowed low and hair spilling out around her. She vaguely felt the pain of her legs and back, but dared not move until dismissed. She dared not...

A quick glance out of her dark eyes, the creatures in the wall were moving again. She shrunk back ever so slightly at their slow creeping, strange liquid movements for those carved reliefs.

"Never fear, Madame," his deep eerie voice called out, a trace of amusement in his tones, "Our pets only do as bid."

She nodded, "And what is your bidding, Emperor?"

"We wait."

Uzume looked up, then quickly lowered her eyes again, startled, "Wait, Sire?"

"Yes, Madame," he chuckled, a hollow sound, "This little story is quite amusing. We haven't had this much fun for a long time."

"Yes, Sire."

* * *

Lazy fingernails tracing patterns on his bare chest, a soft warmth on his side. Saturos smiled blearily as he awoke.

Menardi smiled back up at him, long blonde hair and a thin sheet the only two things keeping her decent, "So, you're awake now."

"Am I?" he asked, wrapping a muscled arm over her form.

She shifted a bit, draping a long leg over his, "I would hope so," she laughed lightly, "Or did you tire that much?"

"Oh, I am very tired," he yawned.

"Saturos!" Menardi whispered, punching him softly.

He smiled while she rested her head on his chest, and idly traced the scales on her shoulders. It was quiet for once, the arched room dark and silent in the night. Some jeweled screens decorated the otherwise bare room, relics from the Prox homeworld.

Comfortable and content, Saturos simply laid back and let his sharp mind wander for a while. Memories of a young bossy Menardi slowly turned into memories of an older bossy Menardi, and he smiled, knowing she couldn't see his thoughts.

She was peaceful now though, not having to deal with the constant struggle they were thrown into unwilling. _It was duty_, he supposed, _that kept them there for so long_. That kept them searching for the traitor in an alien world among the alien humans.

Weyard was such a softer world than Prox, full of forests and lakes and plains of rolling hills. The only place that came close was the snowfields at the frigid poles, vast expanses of white that reminded him of home.

Cold harsh snow that could bite and sting and would swallow the unweary at a moment's distraction. Jagged peaks of ice and rock, that would tear asunder the less than sure footed. Air so thin and dry, it hurt to breathe at times.

Of course it was not always like that, but Saturos could not remember a time so long in the past before he came to Weyard. He heard stories as a young boy, bundled and sitting in front of the fire, of the fiery past of Prox. The ancient elders would tell of their own childhood, eyes that could no longer see recalled the scorched earth and reddened sky. Joints now locked in place, once traversed the deserts and rocky valleys where sustenance clung to the dewy crevices.

Ancient Prox matched the fiery temperament of its denizens, and life was hard, but not the near impossibility it was now. The tough, hardy plants withered and died in the frigid ground, roots frozen and ripped apart in the permafrost.

Saturos repressed the urge to snarl, and instead glared at the arched ceiling of his room. _The traitor..._

Menardi seemed to sense his mood, and gently said, "Thinking about Prox?"

"Yes."

She sighed and raised her striking red eyes to look at him, "The only way is justice. And the only way to achieve that is through the Stone of Sages."

"You don't sound totally convinced, dearest."

"I don't trust him." she said vehemently.

He ran his fingers through her rare blonde hair, "No one does, and he knows it."

"Then what are we to do? We cannot let him fulfill his agenda, but he can lead us to the Stone of Sages."

"We give him what he wants."

Her head snapped up, "What!"

"For a while, at least," he soothed, "When we get closer, we play our trump card."

She stared at him for a moment, "The key..." she realized.

Saturos nodded, running his thumb over her pink cheek, "We move the key at the last moment, somewhere he can't find."

"You have been thinking, dearest."

"Well, I'm useful for two things at least," he chuckled, earning him a swat on the shoulder, "The key will be moved to where he cannot find it, the egoist won't suspect any foul play."

"But who will do this?" she asked, "If one of us disappear, or Karst or Agatio for that matter, he will suspect..."

"We have the _garusia _do it."

She smiled, "Perfect, he won't suspect us if the _garusia _goes missing, and when it comes to the key..." she trailed off, knowing the weakness in the shadowy man.

"He wouldn't tell that water adept anything, even under torture," Saturos finished.

"The Lemurian would have to go, as well," she pointed out.

"Yes, but I doubt that he would have a problem with it."

"I suppose you are right."

"It should work, dearest," Saturos insisted, "As long as we keep the plan secret, he cannot do anything to stop it. Even if he suspects something from us, we just have to time the move. Timing is critical here."

"I shall keep my eyes open then," Menardi promised, staring up at him with a sly smile, "for the opportune moment."

He raised an eyebrow at her look, "Mmm?"

"I should think that you have had enough time to rest by now."

* * *

The never quite comfortable ambient cold seeped from the stones, gliding through the still air to run down the twisting halls. The tiny wall scones flickered bravely against the oncoming cold, but most lost the micro battle and fell cold and dark.

Even the rich tapestries, remnants of better days, seemed frozen in place. The heroic figures and icons trapped not only in thread but in ice.

Having grown up among snowdrifts and ice caves, Alex did not mind the cold, but did not take it lightly either. It crept up on the unsuspecting, and he was not about to be caught unawares.

As he pretended service and trust, and gained half-promises and conditional allies, he knew to keep suspecting. To keep glancing over your shoulder. It would be the only way he could win this game he was playing.

He would have to watch all sides.

But he would be watched by all sides in return. It wasn't very fair, but he wasn't playing fairly anyway. Alex smirked to himself, liking the tiny power it gave him to know that the person on the other line could not know about it.

"...your commands. Do you understand, Alex?"

"Of course, Madame. I eagerly obey." he had to stop himself from laughing. This was true irony.

"I will contact you with further orders at the appointed time."

He grinned wickedly as he shut down the minute communicator and hid the traitorous device away securely. It wouldn't do to have someone find it and ruin his game.

Playing both sides was dangerous, but the rewards were immeasurable.

* * *

Dramatis Personae

Jenna: Megaera, Fire Adept

Isaac: Charon, Earth Adept

Felix: Deceased

Garet: Kirin, Fire Adept

Ivan: Eclipse, Wind Adept

Mia: Healer, Water Adept

Alex: Boreas, Water Adept

Saturos: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Menardi: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Agatio: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Karst: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Susa: Haures, Earth Adept, deceased

Hama: Commander of Western HQ, Wind Adept

Uzume: Command Liaison, Earth Adept

Kaja: Second in Command- Western HQ

Fiehzi: Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Hsu: Navigational Officer- Western HQ

Obaba: Council Chair

Babi: Council member

Faran: Council member

Akafubu: Council member

Donpa: Council member

Dodonpa: Council member

Lunpa: Council member

Moapa: Council member

Hydros: Council member

Iodem: Babi's aide

Kraden: Scholar

Briggs: Mech Communications Officer-Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Chaucha: Mech Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Defense Elite: Mech Warriors

Ouranos: DE captain

Sean: DE sergeant

Drones: Plant-like servants of the Prox.

_Garusia_?

Traitor?

Judgement?

Anemos?

Lemuria?

Emperor?

1 The Proxian couch is akin to something from Rome. It is more like a stone tablet that people can lounge on than the typical modern couch.

* * *

Ha! I got it out finally! Don't blame me, blame college. It is hard enough to keep up in class without having to write nearly ten pages of text. I enjoy it though, so I cannot complain.

Well, I hope this chapter gives some perspective on the other side of the story, because the point of view will change back to Jenna and Co. with their new member. I also suppose Ardente Veritate is a Proxshipping fic now... that was a fun scene to write! I hope you enjoyed, like always, and until next we meet.

Kyarorain: Ding ding ding! Everyone's favorite water Adept is now here.

Cyberwolfmk: Thanks! And for the second part... uhhh... I think YOU confused me?

SpaceJoe: Thank you so much! I actually got threatened! Yay! I'm glad you are enjoying the backstory with Anemos and Lemuria, it's one of my favorite twists.

Flora Jupiter Vixen: Thank you for the threats! They make me feel warm and fuzzy inside! I like Felix too, but... you'll just have to wait and see if anything happens! innocent smile

P.S. Wish me luck on my finals!


	6. The Voice

He was very ordinary looking, Jenna decided while watching the newcomer out of the corner of her eyes in the sparse mission briefing room. Sandy hair, blue eyes, boyish face for one that donned the fearsome mech Charon. Hardly the heroic figure she expected.

Only his voice, rich and deep and serious hinted at his alter ego, but seemed so out of place on the ordinary Isaac.

A voice that answered the steady questions of Hama readily and without hesitation. However, Jenna was herself not so interested in their exchange, focused more on the voice she thought dead. _He sounded like Susa... but Susa...was gone. _

Dead and buried and mourned, but his voice lived on! Perhaps this was some retribution visited upon her by the vengeful gods of his tribe. _Or maybe_, and much more likely she thought, _her own guilt._

Whatever it was, she knew Garet heard it too. She could see it in his face, know it in his very stance. They may not have felt the same about him in life or death, but both had mourned for him. And now both felt the unwanted resurgence of memories.

_Memories_, she thought morosely, _better left forgotten_.

Jenna was granted the temporary reprieve through the strange boy-pilot Isaac. Memories could only be examined, or forgotten, later if there was a later. And it seemed that later rested in the abilities of their newest pilot.

"... this 'Disruption Wave' I am to understand is some new tech secretly developed to combat the Prox?" Hama was saying, "It is strange I have heard nothing of it's development. Surely it's completion took many months of vigorous research and testing?"

Jenna perked up at this information. _So that was the energy wave used to disable the drones_?

"It was highly classified and kept secret even from those with the security clearance to access the information if they wished," Isaac answered, sounding like some vid anchor reporting the afternoon news, "The Citadel's R&D developed it with personal input from the Emperor Himself in less than a month."

"Less than a month?" Hama questioned, amazed, "That's impossible, even for the larger and more staffed research station outside the ruins of Madra. Besides," she continued, a curious tone coming to her voice, "I never thought the Emperor to be such an accomplished physicist."

"The Emperor is a great man," Isaac said with gusto, a proud patriot, "Nothing is beyond His reach. We should consider ourselves lucky for His leadership."

Jenna was surprised at his exuberant praise. Few shared his view of a leader never seen, never heard. A leader leading from the shadows, all for his safety and security of course.

"The Emperor is great," Hama concurred dutifully, "But I must still be amazed at such an impossible task made possible, it seems, by His sheer will."

Frowning, Jenna turned to her commander, not liking the tone the usually un-ruffable woman took in regards to the exalted leader. She could care less about a personage so far removed from herself, but speaking in such condescension could lead to accusations of treachery.

All threats, no matter how small, must be dealt with. A world at war could not afford to be split in opinion. Or so all patriots say.

Isaac didn't seem to take offense though, "It does seem strange, but I have met Him and believe in Him fully."

Hama stared at the new pilot for a long moment, then finally spoke carefully, "He must be great to inspire such trust in you."

"You will trust too, when He ends this war, and the Prox are defeated."

"A future we all hope to obtain," she said nodding, "and a future I hope you will help bring about as well, Isaac."

"I want nothing more." he said quietly, a sad look to his features.

"Thank you, Isaac," Hama replied just as quietly, "You are dismissed now."

"Yes, ma'am."

The average pilot saluted and left, the automatic door causing a slight draft as it shut. Jenna looked to her commander, wondering why she was not dismissed as well.

Hama looked back at her, long and hard, her face held a thoughtful cast, as if she was internally debating something. Whatever it was, it was decided upon, for Hama just barely nodded to herself, "Jenna," she said slowly and softly, "I must ask you something."

Thoroughly confused and wanting to know more, Jenna agreed, "What is it?"

"It is to be entirely off the record and between the two of us."

"All right."

Hama paused, measuring Jenna's sincerity and finding it good enough continued, "I want you to watch him."

Frowning she asked, "Isaac?"

"Yes."

"But, why?"

"I have my reasons."

"Which means you aren't going to tell me." Jenna replied sarcastically.

Hama smiled, showing off her lovely eyes, "You are more perceptive than you give yourself credit for, Jenna."

"And you are just as secretive as everyone suspects, Hama." she retorted arms crossed and glaring at the older woman.

"Hardly," the commander said, shutting off her display, "Everyone here just likes their gossip too much for my taste. If half the attention given to the pursuit of the most recent romantic entanglements was given to the most basic tasks-" here she paused and caught herself, "I apologize, Jenna. I let myself get carried away."

"It's fine," Jenna laughed, worries momentarily forgotten in the face of a frustrated Hama, "I admire you, but I wouldn't want your job!"

The statuesque woman raised an eyebrow, "I doubt you will ever have that problem, Jenna. Excellent pilot you are, diplomat you are not. Sometimes it takes a scalpel instead of a chainsaw."

"But where's the fun in that?"

"Exactly my point."

* * *

The med bay was its usual drab bleariness, sterile air pumping from the ventilation system into an equally sterile area, the colors all muted pastels and neutrals. Strange to get better, it seemed, in a place with no life.

Garet leaned back on the examination table, bare-chested with several medical probes attached to his skin where the psynergetic link-ups connected him to his mech, Kirin. Monitors displayed the subcurrents of psynergy in him, measured to the most minute degree.

The psynergetic backlash from the mechs wreaked havoc on natural bio-currents of pilots, and mandatory sessions in med bay were required after so many hours of flight. The only thing was the sessions were long, boring, and made him feel constantly itchy.

"Don't you even dare." Mia sing-songed from her place at her tidy desk, stopping Garet's blunt fingernails from scratching the skin around the probes.

"I wasn't even thinking about it, Mia." he answered, _did she have eyes in the back of her head? _He sighed and looked to Ivan for support, but the little wind adept shrugged and held up his hands-wrapped in large mittens and taped to his wrists.

"She's mean when she gets down to it." he whispered.

"I heard that Ivan," Mia admonished him, rising from her seat, "And you stop laughing, Garet."

The burly adept was holding his stomach trying not to laugh, but just ended up snorting loudly. Ivan valiantly ignored him, "Am I almost through, Mia? I want to meet that new pilot Isaac."

The healer smoothed out her serviceable robes and consulted the blonde's monitors, "I'd say so," she smiled, removing the probes and tearing the tape off, "But I think Garet will need to spend quite a bit more time in here." she winked.

Aforementioned adept crossed his arms and pouted, "Great! Just great!" he glanced to Ivan, now pulling on his shirt, "Why are you in such a hurry to meet that guy anyway? I'm sure we'll be hearing and seeing more than enough of him soon enough."

"Don't you want to meet him?" Ivan asked, strapping on his boots.

Garet grunted at the younger adept, "I'll pass." _We don't need some hotshot waltzing in here and taking over_, he decided, ready to actively dislike the new pilot.

"Well, I'm going to go meet him," Ivan said smugly, "Anyone who can pilot a mech like he can is worth meeting."

"You have no idea what a great pilot is like, Ivan." Garet grated out, a dangerous look to his eyes.

The blonde was taken aback, and worriedly looked over to Mia. The healer stared forward, sad and shocked, but suddenly knowing why the fire adept was so adamantly against wanting to know their latest member.

"Time to go, Ivan!" she forced a smile to her face, and ushered the bewildered boy out of the medical bay. Swiftly keying in the private code to the door, Mia ensured that they would not be interrupted, barring an emergency.

Steeling herself she turned around and stared Garet down, "What is this really all about? And I want the truth."

He shrugged, playing innocent, "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

"Fine," she said, "Don't say a word." Mia stalked to her desk and started to sift through her paperwork, blatantly ignoring the sulking adept across the room.

Garet frowned, not liking her attitude towards him. _Why should he talk? Just because she was giving him the cold shoulder? Since when was she a shrink anyways_?

_Besides, she wouldn't understand. She never had voices come back from the dead and confused the fuck out of you. But, then again, neither had he before today._

He sighed, knowing he was doomed the moment she demanded an explanation. Even if he could refuse her, a feat not yet accomplished, she wouldn't let him out of the med bay until he owned up.

"I heard Susa's voice today."

She stopped the scribbling she called handwriting, and stared at him, "What?" she half whispered, half shouted in shock.

He looked down at his hands, nervously rubbing them together, "I heard him."

"Are you sure?" she asked after a long pause, knowing what he went through when Susa died, and hoping he wasn't hallucinating.

"I heard him as clearly as I hear you now," he said urgently, "Jenna heard him too."

Mia got up and silently went to his side, sitting primly on the edge of the examination table, "Tell me." she asked, pleading.

"I fucking heard him from that bastard Judgement! Straight over the fucking comm! '_He is not my friend_', fuck!" Garet all but shouted, waving his arms around for emphasis.

"Calm down!" Mia commanded, catching his wrists and holding them, "Garet, Susa is _dead_," she stated solemnly, "You could not have heard his voice!"

"But I did," he said, searching her face, "It was him!"

"Garet-"

"They never found his body, Mia!"

"That doesn't mean that he is alive somewhere." she replied harshly, "You told me yourself what happened to him... how he couldn't possibly survive. This voice is going to make you change your mind? After almost _two years_?"

"I don't know!" he cried, exasperated, "What the fuck am I supposed to think? I saw his mech smashed and compacted like trash. Could feel the psynergy backlash radiating out, uncontrolled and burning." he paused, "Do you have any idea how much psynergy must have been passing through him for _me _to feel it?"

Mia looked away, not even wanting to imagine the horrible death that awaited pilots through the double edged sword of pysnergy.

Garet empathized with her, "I'm sorry, but that is what I am dealing with now. I saw him die, dealt with it for two years, and then hear his voice again- in another incredible mech but on the other side." he groaned, "I don't know what to think anymore."

She smiled reassuringly at him, hoping to comfort him, "I know how close you two were... and how you suffered when he died... don't you think you have grieved him enough?"

"Of course I have," he agreed, "But that doesn't change the fact that I heard him again."

"Are you sure it was not some trick played by the Prox?" she suggested wearily, "Perhaps in order to cause the pain and confusion you feel now?"

He shook his head sadly, "No... it was him... I can't explain it, but I know."

"Garet, I don't think-"

"I know you don't believe me," he interrupted her, "You were never connected to him like Jenna and me." he said, feeling ridiculous at being so candid, "We would... know... if it was a trick. We would feel it."

"If that were the case," Mia pointed out, "why didn't you 'know' Judgement was Susa before?"

"I don't know!" he moaned, unconsciously scratching around the probe on his shoulder, "That's why none of this makes any sense!"

Mia swatted his hand away, "Stop that."

"Sorry," he apologized distractedly, "I just don't know what's going on." he shrugged piteously, earning a sympathetic look from the healer.

Garet rubbed his hands over his face, frustrated, angry and sad all at once. It was just too much to take.

He thought that all of this was behind him, he never expected specters of the past to haunt him. He never expected Susa to have such a vengeful spirit- _what did he ever do to him to deserve this bullshit anyway_?

"I wouldn't worry about it, Garet," Mia was saying, "there is nothing you can do to prove, or disprove, the identity of the voice."

He smiled at her, a bit lopsidedly, "Always a word of reason from you, huh?"

"Well someone around here has to keep things in perspective," she retorted smartly, "With all you hotheads running about."

"Me!"

"Mmmmhmmmm," she got up and started pulling out the probes, earning a wince from Garet after each one, "You're the worst."

"How do you figure that?"

"You rush in head first without thought."

_Ouch_... "What about Jenna?" he asked indignantly.

"She at least has some common sense and develops a strategy before rushing in head first."

_Crap_..."And Ivan?"

"He's a wind adept, he always has some inkling of what the future holds."

_How the hell does she know this_?..."Hama?" he asked hopefully.

Mia gave him a look, "Can anyone accuse Hama of being hotheaded?"

Another probe gone, "No, I guess not." he admitted.

"You are taking this too seriously," she laughed in her clear tones, "Lighten up."

He smiled weakly at her, "Just trying to keep my mind off of things."

Her laugh faded quickly, "Oh..."

Garet suffered the removal of the rest of the probes in silence, hands itching to scratch his newly liberated skin. He watched Mia work, all neatness and efficiency.

_How many times had she done this? How many times had he been in here, for psynergy sessions or the multitudes of wounds that mech pilots always seemed to acquire? Probably too many times to count._

_But she was always here, ready to heal only for the next poor sap to walk through the door_. 'Healers are always needed', she had once told him long ago, smiling in her strange sad way, 'in war and peace, in the largest city and the smallest village. I am proud to help... I am proud of my calling.'

Garet smiled warmly at her, a sudden lightness in his soul, "Thanks, Mia."

She glanced up at him, confused, "For what?"

"Just... thanks."

* * *

Ivan stared at the door as it shut in front of him, the click of the lock sounding loud. He frowned, not liking the idea of Mia and Garet alone in a room by themselves. _What if the moron tried something_? he fumed internally. He may not be Garet's size, but he wouldn't let the fire adept off easily when he saw him next!

He kicked the door for good measure, and stalked off angrily. _It wasn't fair! No one ever told him anything_. He didn't get to hear Hama, Jenna, and Isaac's conversation, or what Garet and Mia are-hopefully- talking about.

He only got a tiny glimpse of whatever had upset Jenna and Garet so much in the battle... _someone near to them_...

Whatever it was about, it was constantly in the back of their minds even if they weren't admitting it. He could feel it around them, like little dirty fingers curling around their auras.

But he still didn't know what it was!

Ivan felt a tingling... a warning floating on the breeze.

He stopped and closed his eyes, concentrating on his breathing like his sister taught him. Breathe in... and breathe out...

"Excuse me, young man. I would like to ask for your assistance."

The adept looked up into the face of a very old man.

The warning flew away, disappearing among the swirls and eddies of the wind.

_Damn_! Ivan cursed, _I lost it! _His concentration shattered, he could do nothing but let the ominous red warning fade away, lost to the wind.

"I am sorry," the elder said upon seeing Ivan mentally berate himself, "Am I disturbing your meditations?"

"Huh?"

The man's finely boned face broke out into a grin, "Forgive me, I have not spoken with children in a very long time."

"I am not a child." Ivan replied angrily, "I'm a wind adept and a mech pilot." Stupid old geezer...

"Ivan? Is it not?"

He raised an eyebrow, "How did you know?"

"You are Commander Hama's younger brother," the elder said, "You share a resemblance."

"And who are you?" Ivan asked testily, irritated at this old man for ruining his meditation and comparing him to his sister.

"I am Councilor Hydros."

_Oh, SHIT_! "Sir!" the unfortunate adept sputtered out, trying not to look like a jackass.

"Quite alright," Hydros dismissed the formal title, "I actually have a favor to ask you, young pilot."

"A favor?" Ivan repeated stupidly.

The ancient man smiled, face crinkling up, "My colleague and I could use a fresh young pair of eyes to help with our research."

"And you want my help?"

"Is there something wrong with that?"

"No, no!" Ivan shook his head, eager for a chance to prove himself. What better way than to help the esteemed Councilor Hydros? "I'll be glad to help."

The old man clapped a large hand on the small boy's back- nearly sending him to the ground, "Excellent! I'll be sure to tell your sister of your helpfulness to two old men. Come this way, young Ivan! We have much work to do!"

* * *

"These are the forward engines," Jenna explained, motioning over the railing to the throbbing machines, "They power the forward thrusters and the entire residential section."

Isaac nodded at this, "The turbines descend another four levels- right to the coolant tanks."

She leaned back against the rail and crossed her arms, "That's right," she said thoughtfully, then playfully asked, "Did you memorize the blueprint of HQ?"

"Not the entire layout," he said to Jenna's amazement, "I didn't have the time."

"I was joking."

He had the grace to look embarrassed, "Of course."

_What a strange one_, she thought walking away. Why Hama had ever asked her to watch him, she may never know. He didn't seem the type to make trouble- quite the opposite in fact. Jenna laughed internally, _Isaac would be the type to rescue a kitten from a tree_.

"What would you like to see next?" she asked, honestly relaxed in his presence.

"The gardens," he said without hesitation, "I've heard that Western HQ has the best."

The gardens? "Sure," Jenna agreed, trying to remember the way, "Are you interested in botany?"

Isaac nodded, his rich voice containing his excitement, "I've always loved things that grow, I guess it comes from being an earth adept."

"That's probably true," she said, remembering another earth adept's green thumb.

"Living in the Citadel or in your mech doesn't really allow for much nature."

"What's it like," Jenna asked, genuinely curious, "living in the Citadel?"

Stepping aside for some techs carrying a scanner, Isaac shrugged, "Can't really say."

"Confidential?"

He frowned, "Yes... and no." he paused glancing around like some inexperienced spy, "I can't say any details."

Jenna glanced around and smiled, "Wouldn't want you to get into trouble." she whispered.

"Thank you, Jenna," he said seriously, not catching onto her ploy, "I can't do anything that would upset the Emperor."

She nodded solemnly, "Of course."

"So... Where are the gardens?"

* * *

Western HQ sailed through the sky, much like a boat on water. The huge structure seemed to move effortlessly, no noise or exhaust emitted from the gleaming metal body. It cut through the air, parting the clouds in its wake and spreading them out in the dome of the heavens.

It was unique, one of a kind, the brain-child of Weyard's most brilliant scientists and engineers. Built by master craftsmen, and serviced by the most experienced mechanics and technicians. Made of the finest materials still available.

And powered by the very life force of its occupants- psynergy.

Enormous psynergy engines propelled HQ, fueled by crystals mined and refined for maximum output. Like a mechanical heart it pumped the psynergy throughout the battlestation via channels more akin to arteries and veins. It seemed almost alive at times, with the beat of the engines.

Hama could feel the flow of psynergy around her, the warm presence that seemed somehow familiar... yet... different from anything she knew.

The life around her resonated with psynergy- every animal and plant, the same melody but in a different key perhaps.

She breathed in, and out. Again and again, slower and deeper. Her mind cleared, that blank nothingness that lead to greater concentration. All that existed was the air, the wind. The one element that remained when all others were gone from her meditation.

Breathe in...

Breathe out...

The wind spoke in its whispering raspy voice. Not the booming crash of the earth, or the fierce crack of fire, nor the gentle rippling of water.

But the wind was heard over the others. The earth disappeared, rocks eroding away into nothing. Fire burned itself out, too hot for long life. Finally water evaporated away, disappearing into the air.

Only her breathing remained.

Breathe in...

Breathe out...

The wind voiced concern. Great peril is coming- a storm.

_A storm? What storm concerned the air itself? The very Ruler of Winds_?

Not any storm- one that wipes out all the elements! A storm that gains momentum even now!

Breathe in...breathe out...

The storm rises- along with the twilight of a new age. An age of darkness and cold, where no earth, water, fire or wind exist.

A place where everything is nothing, and nothing is everything.

Breathe in... breathe out... breathe in... breathe out...

This place... the wind dares not go...

Hama started choking and gasping for air, her vision swirling and blurred. The wind had left her! Abandoned her!

She couldn't breathe!

She fell from her seat, body curled up and trembling. Her hands clawed at the fertile soil in the sanctuary, ripping the fresh green grass up by its roots, spilling the brown earth.

She tried to call for help but her lovely voice failed her, a low throaty hiss was the only sound she made. Her chest heaved and strained, her insides on fire, needing oxygen desperately. Pain coursed through her, physical form aching and burning all at once. Saliva pooled in her mouth, her lips issued silent pleas- blue tinting the normal coral color.

Hama's eyes, usually dark and bright, stared unfocused in front of her. Her mind cleared, complex thoughts gave way to simple epiphanies. _How strange_, she thought, her hands laying feebly on the mutilated ground, _it doesn't hurt anymore._

Calm acceptance in her mind.

Violent thrashing of her body.

Her vision dimmed, dark around the edges. It was like looking through a tunnel...

She heard nothing, not even the beating of her own heart anymore. She felt nothing, not even the ground beneath her. She tasted nothing, not even the harsh plastic tubes going down her throat. She smelled nothing, not even the stench of sterile artificial air.

She saw nothing, not even flurry of hands and faces trying to save her life.

* * *

Dramatis Personae

Jenna: Megaera, Fire Adept

Isaac: Charon, Earth Adept

Felix: Deceased

Garet: Kirin, Fire Adept

Ivan: Eclipse, Wind Adept

Mia: Healer, Water Adept

Alex: Boreas, Water Adept

Saturos: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Menardi: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Agatio: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Karst: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Susa: Haures, Earth Adept, deceased

Hama: Commander of Western HQ, Wind Adept

Uzume: Command Liaison, Earth Adept

Kaja: Second in Command- Western HQ

Fiehzi: Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Hsu: Navigational Officer- Western HQ

Obaba: Council Chair

Babi: Council member

Faran: Council member

Akafubu: Council member

Donpa: Council member

Dodonpa: Council member

Lunpa: Council member

Moapa: Council member

Hydros: Council member

Iodem: Babi's aide

Kraden: Scholar

Briggs: Mech Communications Officer-Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Chaucha: Mech Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Defense Elite: Mech Warriors

Ouranos: DE captain

Sean: DE sergeant

Drones: Plant-like servants of the Prox.

_Garusia_?

Traitor?

Judgement?

Anemos?

Lemuria?

Emperor?

* * *

And the next chapter is finally out! Whew! It's a kinda filler chapter, nothing really exciting happens, but you get to meet my version of Isaac. I see him as a very two sided character- there's the fighter part and the boyish part. And of course I had to give him an amazing voice because he hardly says anything in the games.

SpaceJoe: I guess no cookie for me? Sorry for the delay, but thanks for the review. I like proxshipping, and since there are so few of them I had to put it in there.

Cyberwolfmk: Who is Garusia? Let's hear your guesses!

Flora Jupiter Vixen: Thank you! I did very well on my finals, thanks to everyone that reviewed! I hope it stays interesting in the future, I'll try my hardest.

ElementalSpirit1: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like the concept. I wanted to do something different than the typical medieval placed fics for Golden Sun, but still keep the essential ideas the same.

Italics are now in the chapter! Sorry about that!


	7. A Rare Moment

The air was stuffy. That thick heavy feeling that choked all life from you. Not to mention the dust- in the air, on the table, in his nose.

Ivan sneezed, the only sound breaking the silence of the antique dated room. Rubbing his nose on his sleeve, then rubbing his watering eyes, he tried to read the scribbled handwriting of the ancient tomes.

_How did he get suckered into this_? he moaned miserably inside his congested head. _It was like the old farts never even cleaned in here! There they were, hmmming and ummming over this parchment or that paper, scratching their whiskers_- now thoroughly gray from dust.

Councilor Hydros, and some equally old and fogey Kraden or something, _who dug up those two fossils_? he snickered internally, wishing for some excuse- any excuse- to get the hell out of there.

"It is amazing Professor! This discovery could change the course of the war." said geezer #1.

"Quite, quite Councilor. However those in charge do not take my word, or yours for that matter." replied geezer #2.

_Some miraculous discovery my ass_, thought the wind adept, _these two couldn't 'discover' their own false teeth in this mess_.

"How are you keeping up, young Ivan?" geezer #2 asked suddenly.

Ivan started, sending up clouds of dust from his shoulders and hair, "Huh?"

"You seemed so thoroughly engrossed in the task at hand that I thought you either to be extremely interested or extremely bored." Kraden laughed.

"Well..."

"No matter," the scholar mused, "I suppose it cannot be helped for one so young with such a short attention span."

"Hey!"

"Perhaps another job is in order, then?" Hydros suggested.

"Wait-"

"- Come to think of it, I do have several long ballads, written in the old style, that need to be transferred to the computer manually." Kraden said.

"That's alright," Ivan said hurriedly, eyes wide and shaking his head, "I'm fine here. No need to move me around."

"Excellent," Hydros commented unnecessarily, "Soon the long lost secrets of the Lemurians and the Anemos will aid us in our struggle."

Kraden walked to his cluttered desk and picked up a coffee mug. Sniffing the contents he grimaced, then shrugged and drank it anyway.

"The ancient ones had great power," Hydros continued, settling himself into one of the many dilapidated chairs scattered about, "But it was all lost long ago... before the war even started."

Ivan looked up at this, doubtful, "That's just legend. No one _really _believes that."

"You would do well to listen to your elders," Hydros smiled.

"Would you like some coffee, Councilor?" Kraden asked from somewhere behind the piles of texts and artifacts stacked nearly to the ceiling.

The aged council member frowned, "That isn't coffee, it's tar."

"Suit yourself."

Hydros looked back to Ivan, "There are so many 'legends' around the world, so many references to those from the sky or the ocean, how can there not be some truth?"

"That doesn't mean that you are going to find some super weapon."

The graybeard seemed shocked, "Weapons? Not all problems are solved with weapons, young Ivan."

The wind adept just rolled his eyes and went back to the pages of scribble in front of him, he doubted any of this would help in the slightest. The war was going only going to end through a show of force.

"There are so many legends of the ancient ones," Hydros spoke, not noticing Ivan's skepticism, "Beautiful people who lived among the stars and flew on their own wings, or those who came from the great misty ocean- clad in foam and coral."

"Sounds like horrendous fashion sense to me." Ivan muttered.

The Councilor was unphased by his remark though, "Some say that Wind Adepts are the offspring of the Anemos and mortal women, shunned from the heavens because of their low birth." he said suggestively.

Ivan didn't take the bait, "That seems like a crappy way to treat people."

Hydros nodded, "I suppose it was, but the Anemos got their comeuppance. Legend also says that the home of the Anemos fell from the heavens, and killed all the inhabitants."

Ivan frowned, now involved in spite himself, "That doesn't sound like a proper punishment, though."

"No," Hydros agreed, "I suppose the punishment did not fit the crime, perhaps there was another reason for the fall that is now lost to time."

"And that's why we research, Councilor," Kraden said, appearing out of nowhere and holding a fresh cup of coffee.

"Quite true, professor," Hydros beamed, his craggily face becoming animated, "No mystery shall forever go unsolved."

"I should certainly hope not," the scholar affirmed, finding himself an equally dilapidated chair to sit in as Hydros did, "With all the new information being gathered from the Tomegathericon, we shall even find the mythical Sanctum and then the mighty Stone of Sages."

"I am still trying to convince the Council of the seriousness and importance of your findings, old friend. However, it continues to be an upward battle." the aged council member reported sadly.

The worn looking scholar nodded, "If that is the case I will just have to present them with more proof. More evidence. Or in Lunpa's case a greater monetary reward. But these findings cannot go ignored indefinitely."

"You underestimate the Council," Hydros laughed.

"I wouldn't dare," Kraden said, "Too much rides on this."

"What is the Tome-gather-icon?" Ivan asked, wondering what the old fogeys were going on about.

"The Tomegathericon is the written instructions to find the hidden Sol Sanctum," Kraden answered eagerly, "the very place the Stone of Sages is said to be."

"And if the power of the Stone of Sages was used, a new age would dawn on Weyard." Hydros finished for the old professor, stroking his long gray beard wisely.

Ivan frowned, confused as to why the greedy Council wouldn't jump at this opportunity, "Why hasn't it been found by now?"

Kraden lost some of his enthusiasm and slumped in his chair wearily, "Well, for one: there is now about a mile of solid rock where the Tomegathericon says the Sol Sanctum was. Apparently, there is now a mountain on top of it."

"Besides, you have to pry every Gold the Council allocates from Lunpa's fingers," Hydros continued just as wearily.

"And there is one more secret," Kraden sighed, "Some type of 'key' to unlock to Stone of Sages."

"And you haven't found it?" Ivan asked.

"I have no idea where to even begin! None of the legends mention a 'key', but the Tomegathericon is quite clear on the subject," Kraden moaned, "It is incredibly fascinating, and yet also incredibly frustrating as well. The power of the ancient gods lies just beyond the reach of our fingertips."

"We feel quite thwarted," Hydros added, "It seems that no matter what evidence Kraden puts forth, it is rejected."

"Damn it, Hydros," the scholar angrily replied, "I'm an academic, not a superhero. Don't expect me to singlehandedly change the Council's mind. That's what you are here for."

"Is it really that important though?" Ivan asked, "How can some rock change the world?"

"'Some rock' he says!" Kraden exclaimed, slamming down his coffee mug and spilling the hot liquid all over the cluttered table, "That 'rock' happens to be the ultimate creation of the Anemos! It has the ability to give the wielder unlimited power! Just imagine the consequences!"

Ivan quickly picked up the battered text he had been studying so that the encroaching pool of coffee would not damage it. Several other equally old and important looking texts were not rescued in time, but the scholar didn't seem to notice as he ranted on.

"The Stone of Sages, the catalyst to rise the Golden Age- a Golden Sun to rise above Weyard. The unleashing of Alchemy, and the source of limitless psynergy. If the Sol Sanctum were ever found the world would change drastically," the professor continued, "The four elements would come together- joined as one. Weyard would glow in the light of the Golden Age-"

"-The coffee is all over the place-"

"-A new age for mankind-"

"-all your documents are getting ruined-"

"-One that- What!" Kraden sputtered, just now seeing his precious tomes soaking up coffee, "Damnnation!" he swore, trying vainly to clean the spilled coffee with his dusty sleeve, and making a new dark stain in his patched shirt.

Ivan snickered, now Kraden was swearing because the coffee burnt his arm, and Hydros just nodded sagely- but maybe he was just nodding off. The whole situation was ridiculous, one minute they seemed like genuine scholars- the next they were just two old men.

"Professor Kraden," a pretty girl with red hair said, popping out from one of the adjacent storage rooms, "there's a call for Ivan. It sounds important."

"Best get going then," Kraden muttered, sure that he had lost his latest helper, "Kay knows where the blasted comm is."

Curious, Ivan maneuvered his way between the stacks of books with knocking only a few over. The pretty redhead, Kay, showed him the comm. It looked older than most of the texts he had seen.

"It's from the med bay," she said, "but they wouldn't tell me what about though." she sounded peeved.

Ivan picked up the receiver, "Uh, thanks." he glanced back at her.

"No problem," she replied, but then she just stood there and didn't leave.

"_Bye_."

"Oh right! Sorry." she apologized, but still took her time departing.

_Nosy_, Ivan thought, finally speaking into the comm, "Yes?"

"I'm sorry to disturb you," the voice on the other end said in a hurried anxious way, "but there has been an accident involving your sister."

* * *

"The gardens are deep in HQ's infrastructure," Jenna explained, "near the residential areas and the most vital operations that keep the battlestation going. If HQ were ever under attack, hopefully these places would take the least amount of damage."

Isaac nodded, following her down the corridors, "That makes sense, but someone attacking this thing is impossible- it would be suicide."

"Maybe so," she agreed, feeling a great pride for the power she was part of, "but we are prepared just in case."

_If someone did attack HQ, they would have to have a death wish_, she thought grimly, but still feeling safe and secure within the behemoth of metal and psynergy. _The only time people got hurt or died was on the outside- in mechs or on the ground- unprotected and defenseless._

_People like Susa and her brother..._

It was hard to describe Weyard now. There were centers of technology and research, like the Citadel. On the other hand, there were vast barren plains pock-marked by acidic lakes. There were places were mutated monsters roamed the dead forests, eating anything that moved.

Places like Izumo still existed, places were small bands of people still flourished and thrived, hidden away from radiation or the Prox. But there were countless cities, like Tobli or Kalay, that were nothing more than piles of refuse now. Even her home of Vale was gone, wiped out in a firestorm unimaginable to those who did not see it.

She sighed, suddenly homesick, "Hey Isaac, were are you from?" she asked, stopping and crossing her arms in the dreary service chute she used as a shortcut to get around.

He looked back at her, confused, "I... don't remember," he said frowning.

"You don't remember?"

"No," he continued, his eyes taking on a faraway cast, "It was a long time ago, before I started living in the Citadel, so at least ten years then. All I know is that wherever it was, it's gone now." he finished sadly.

Jenna nodded, a rare feeling of sympathy shading her mood, "Mine too."

They continued on, silently. Jenna was surprised at her actions, she had befriended Isaac rather quickly. Strange for her very private self.

_Maybe she knew him in a previous life_, she snickered inwardly, _things like that happen _all _the time._

"Hey, Jenna," Isaac said at length, "Isn't there a way to get up to the outer decks from here?"

She turned around, looking at the surrounding corridors and passageways, "I think so, why?"

"I want to see." he shrugged.

She grinned mischievously, "Alright," she walked up to a nearby vertical service chute and pulled the cover off expertly. A sudden draft of air rushed out from above, the wind making a slight moaning sound as it did.

The draft was cold, and Jenna rubbed her arms, "We can take this ladder up to the outermost deck, but it's cold and windy up there- just a warning."

"Been up there before?" he asked curiously.

"Of course," she replied, mock appalled, "As if a sign and a cover can keep me out." Jenna remembered fondly, thinking of a previous incident and thorough dressing down from Hama.

Isaac raised an eyebrow at this, but asked no further questions of her as he climbed the ladder. Jenna followed him, slowly making her way up the chute. Recessed lights tried to show the way, but most were out or merely cast long shadows from Isaac down at her.

Instead of sight she used touch to guide her feet and hands. Besides, she didn't want to stare at Isaac's ass in front of her the _entire _time.

They eventually climbed out into the cold air, the wind blowing in gusts around them at the high altitude. Jenna planted her boots firmly on the smooth hull, not wanting to take the long plunge to the ground below them.

When she was finally settled she looked up and out, the bright starry sky arching above them in a dazzling display of the heavens. Isaac was silent beside her, staring with awe on his boyish face. Jenna smiled at him grabbing his hand and pulling him up higher to a better position. The hull was nearly horizontal here and they sat down, arms wrapped around their knees for warmth.

It was a clear, cold night, the kind that made the stars seem twice as bright and just barely out of reach if you wanted to touch one. And here they had an uninterrupted view.

"It's beautiful," Isaac said, no trace of shame in his voice. A tiny smile remained on his face as he watched and observed and simply enjoyed the panorama.

The fire adept rested her chin on her hand, not bothering to brush away her windswept hair from her dark eyes. She simply watched, a rare moment of peace on top of a mobile battlestation. Tranquility, the tiniest flickering of stars so very far away. Breathing the clear air, everything else seemed so very distant, and yet remarkably nearby.

There was a time when she used to sit here with someone else, but she hadn't done so in over two years. There was a time when they used to sneak up here to watch the stars, and later the stars watched them.

There was a time when she heard his voice, not some freakish mockery.

She still missed him, she realized, even death does not kill feelings or memories. And now she brought Isaac here, _why_? Perhaps to recapture her spent memories, fleeting as they are? Perhaps it was a type of karma, sent to punish her by creating a specter to haunt her.

She could see him now, dark hair and laughing eyes as he told her the names of the constellations. But she also saw Isaac, sandy hair and boy-faced watching the celestial objects silently.

"I heard," she said quietly, "that long ago you couldn't see the stars. That there was so much light from cities that they blocked them out."

Isaac turned to her, "That sounds sad to me."

_Susa turned to her, "I can't imagine that."_

"But now there are no cities," Jenna continued harshly, both in the present and the past, "because of the Prox."

_Susa reached over to her, his arm securely around her shoulders. She started, not expecting it and glanced away, uncharacteristically embarrassed. He reached with his other hand and turned her to face him, his dark serious eyes staring into hers._

"_That's why we fight, Jenna," he said, "To protect our cities and homes, our forests and streams... and the ones we love." he finished quietly, still looking at her intently._

"_Love?" she asked a bit breathlessly._

"_Love." he answered seriously, and then kissed her._

"That's not what I meant," Isaac said, ripping her from her memories, "I think it's sad not to be able to see the stars. I wouldn't want to live in a world like that."

She stared at him, that was not the answer she was expecting from the greatest enemy of the Prox. An answer so different than the one before, and yet right in its own way.

Isaac was watching her reaction, grinning sheepishly. She smiled slowly back, he wasn't Susa- he was Isaac and that was alright with her.

The earth adept seemed to get the idea that she liked his answer and glanced back at the stars, tapping his booted feet on the metal hull. She was about to rejoin his stargazing, but the comm on her belt beeped.

Frowning, she switched it on, "What is it?"

The voice on the other end was breathless and nearly shouting, "Hurry... to med... bay... accident..."

"What! Repeat that!"

The poor tech on the other end seemed to catch his breath, "There's... been an accident."

"Who's been hurt?" Isaac asked worriedly.

"Commander... Hama."

* * *

The tray clinked ever so slightly as she carried it into the oval room. The crystal decanter and plates sparkled in the low light, the food and drink in them seemingly dull in comparison.

Uzume stepped lightly on the polished floor, not wanting to disturb the slumbering Emperor. His heavy breathing reminded her of the slumbering dragons told to her long ago in fairytales. _Perhaps he sleeps upon a mountain of gold_, she thought traitorously enjoying the rare moment of freedom granted to her.

Quickly and quietly she set out the crystal service, laying out forks and spoons and knives and uncorking the decanter. Carefully she poured the clear liquid into a beautifully carved goblet depicting mermaids and mermen swimming amongst the waves.

She sniffed at the liquid, it was not spirits like a decanter was more commonly used for, but seemed merely water. _Maybe just a sip_? she thought, but quickly shook her head. Uzume carefully replaced it onto the tray, not wanting to tempt fate by displeasing the Emperor.

Slowly she stood, smoothing out her skirts and carefully brushing her hair back with her long fingers. She almost made it to the door when a deep voice called out to her, "One moment, Madame."

Uzume stopped and bowed politely, "What do you request, Dragon King?" she said without thinking. Realizing her mistake, she quickly apologized, "Forgive me, Emperor-"

A deep chuckle, "-We are not displeased, Madame."

She bowed, almost touching the floor, "Thank you." she said, relieved.

"There is an opportunity before Us." he said ominously, "It seems a little bird has lost her wings."

* * *

Dramatis Personae

Jenna: Megaera, Fire Adept

Isaac: Charon, Earth Adept

Felix: Deceased

Garet: Kirin, Fire Adept

Ivan: Eclipse, Wind Adept

Mia: Healer, Water Adept

Alex: Boreas, Water Adept

Saturos: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Menardi: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Agatio: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Karst: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Susa: Haures, Earth Adept, deceased

Hama: Commander of Western HQ, Wind Adept

Uzume: Command Liaison, Earth Adept

Kaja: Second in Command- Western HQ

Fiehzi: Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Hsu: Navigational Officer- Western HQ

Kay: Kraden's assistant

Obaba: Council Chair

Babi: Council member

Faran: Council member

Akafubu: Council member

Donpa: Council member

Dodonpa: Council member

Lunpa: Council member

Moapa: Council member

Hydros: Council member

Iodem: Babi's aide

Kraden: Scholar

Briggs: Mech Communications Officer-Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Chaucha: Mech Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Defense Elite: Mech Warriors

Ouranos: DE captain

Sean: DE sergeant

Drones: Plant-like servants of the Prox.

_Garusia_?

Traitor?

Judgement?

Anemos: People who lived in the sky.

Lemuria: People who lived in the ocean.

Emperor?

* * *

Well, here you go. Another chapter with no fighting, but that will soon change! This chapter has my favorite scene, one that I had been planning from the start. Also this chapter features a new character: Kay! She is Kraden's aide/assistant/secretary/cleaning lady. And for those of who to which it applies, Happy Fourth of July!

Flora Jupiter Vixen: Thanks again! I'm always glad to make things interesting.

Shiny Milotic: Can't tell you about Hama, you'll find out in the next chapter. I'm glad you are guessing, although you may be surprised.

SpaceJoe: Mmmm... brownie. Can't tell you about Hama, but you'll find out soon enough, and thanks!

Dracobolt: Thanks for the review! How kind and considerate! Glad you like the descriptions, those are usually my favorite part and they play an important role in the story.


	8. Cry

Jenna paced nervously, her gut wrenching and twisting inside her. She felt cold and hot and anxious, and _she couldn't do a thing about it._

She glanced around her, the waiting room oddly suffocating and constricting. If she was claustrophobic she would be screaming...

...She might scream yet...

Garet just looked back at her, his dark eyes betraying his fear even as he lounged against the stiff couch. He seemed tired, drawn, but perhaps worst of all-unsure. Whatever Garet may be, he was never _unsure_, and that frightened her.

Kaja stood guard outside the innocent doorway, protecting the inhabitants within or the outside world from the inhabitants she wasn't sure which. His bravado diminished, his smirk a pitiful shadow of his normal self, a sentinel like quality- forever charged with protecting but never able to truly understand _why_?

And then there was Isaac, the man-child that piloted a weapon of destruction but couldn't bear to forget the stars. A fearsome warrior, and yet the simplest love of nature resided in his heart. His blue eyes just stared at her, almost asking _what should I feel_? She just stared helplessly back at him, unable or unwilling to answer his unspoken question, perhaps a bit of both.

She didn't dare speak, as if her words would make this nightmare real. As if she could cause this pain and uncertainty with the merest whisper. She wished for some sign of hope- and yet dreaded it all the same. How could she bear this irony, this paradox that she could not escape?

Jenna wished she was in there, instead of Hama, at least she would not feel _this_. A blank expanse was better than _this_, anything was better than this _waiting_!

The door slid open with the slightest draft of air, and Jenna's head snapped up, suddenly attentive and wary. But that drained away from her almost instantly when she saw the harried face of Ivan.

He looked so sad and wretched and pitiful, that could she still weep, she would have wept for him then.

"Where is she?" he asked frantically, wide purple eyes searching those gathered in the room, "Where is she?" he repeated striding forward, "Where is she? I can't... I can't feel her anymore..." his voice broke.

Ivan cried, great sobs that shook his small frame. Jenna looked on helplessly, her miserable excuse for a heart awash with empathy, but unable to act.

Surprisingly, it was Isaac who took the initiative to comfort the boy, tentatively patting him on the shoulder, "She'll be fine."

Jenna looked on astonished as Ivan blinked back tears and bit his lip to stop his teeth from chattering. He blushed, clearly mortified, "Of course she'll be fine," he said, not meeting anyone's gaze, "She'll be fine." he repeated, almost to himself.

Isaac nodded and led the boy to one of the stiff couches where Ivan sunk heavily into the foam cushion, his hands wringing themselves white.

They sat like that for a time, minutes or hours, Jenna wasn't sure anymore. Everything just drifted into a haze, blurry and enveloping, never comforting. No one said anything, only the occasional breathing and squeak of the seats breaking the solemn silent.

Jenna felt cold and strangely out of her body, if that was possible. Her mind wandered, to the past, the future, but never on the present. She was eight years old again, angry and sad and frustrated and not able to communicate these feelings to anyone, she was alone.

She remembered those days clearly, flawlessly, she was cursed with every feeling of inadequacy and spite and loathing she felt then. She hardly talked, was forced to eat, and relentlessly pushed and mastered her psynergy.

_She was alone now_...

But she wasn't really. She was perhaps too young or naive or stubborn to realize it, but they say hindsight is 20/20. There was Garet, a burly boy back then too, full of self confidence and a swagger to match. But he always had a smile, whether it was a cocky grin or a knowing smirk, and always ready to jump into a fight.

Ivan was there too, even younger and more innocent, his mop of hair nearly black and falling over huge eyes. Always indignant and ready to prove himself to anyone anytime anywhere.

Susa, her heart gave a little wrench, was there. Noble and proud and calm and handsome, he was their leader, their head. And yet he was far from perfect, given to tiny misdemeanors and far greater life changing ones as well.

And Hama was there, in all her regal bearing and beauty. Calm and cool, everything the young Jenna was not- and if she were honest, everything she was not now. Hama represented duty- to one's country, one's conscience, and one's family.

They were all there.

And here they all were, save one...

Mia joined them, nearly unnoticed she was so quiet. She was tired, her icy eyes lined and her meticulous healer's robes hanging limply off of her.

Ivan jumped up, "How is she?"

The healer frowned fractionally but spoke steadily, "You should see yourself."

The wind adept hardly needed to be told twice, and he ran from the room, Garet, Isaac, and Kaja following closely behind him.

Jenna hesitated, "Mia?" she questioned.

"I'm alright," she said, breathing deeply, "Just tired and shaken up."

"How is-?"

"-Go and see her for yourself," she interrupted, her voice small, "You need to see yourself."

The fire adept looked worriedly at her as if expecting Mia to elaborate. The healer did no such thing and nearly collapsed on the same couch Ivan had earlier.

"Go, Jenna," she reiterated.

She nodded and quickly left the waiting room.

* * *

Hama was laying on a white hospital bed surrounded by her friends and family when Jenna arrived.

At first she didn't realize the pale sickly thing there was her commander, that perhaps there had been some mistake and Hama was somewhere else- not surrounded by beeping monitors or funereal bystanders.

But there she was, skin colored an off white gray, her hair like ink lines on her pillow.

Jenna feared the worst, there was no life in that body, drained out of her by some malevolent force. Not like the fiery deaths she had known all her life.

"She's not dead," Kaja said, his normally rough voice hoarse and deep, "It's a coma."

* * *

"We must do something," Faran announced loudly to be heard among the Council's bickering, "Perhaps plea to the Emperor to send us a new commander."

Indignant shouts were sent at him from all sides, "Why do we not just take over the Headquarters ourselves?" Akafubu asked, power gleaming in his beady eyes, "Then we may wage the war that is meant to take place- none of this cowering or hiding."

"Hear hear!" Dodonpa slammed his fist on the Council table repeatedly.

"We can't wage an all out frontal attack!" Lunpa nearly fainted he was hyperventilating so badly, "The sheer economics of that would be staggering!"

"I hardly think that will be our major concern, Lunpa." Obaba snapped.

"Our major concern should be attempting to remain as if nothing has happened," Babi said, "At least from outward appearances. We do not want to tip off the Prox that something _has _happened."

"Not to dismiss Commander Hama," Hydros suggested, "But we have a perfectly capable second-in-command that has been doing his job since the incident happened."

"But we are still short-handed," Faran replied, "I still think we should involve the Emperor."

"I am sure the Emperor has been made aware of our situation," Obaba sighed, "Whether or not he sends help is entirely up to him."

"But if we send a special message..."

"That will take too long! We must attack!"

* * *

The large navigational map stretched out in a multitude of colors and symbols, but Hsu hardly saw them- his mind on other things that included a tall stately woman.

"Hsu?" a small voice asked quietly.

The rather large man turned around, surprised to see Fiehzi staring back at him with her usually proud face scared. Even her neural implants seemed to be blinking out of sync with each other, "What is wrong, Fiehzi?"

She came over to his navigational panel, looking troubled, "I am worried for Commander Hama."

Hsu nodded, knowing the feeling all too well, "As are all who know her."

Truth be told, Hsu was terrified. He was hardly the brave fighter, or an intelligent academic, or even overly kind. He was just Hsu the navigation officer, never given a second thought, always following orders.

It didn't matter to those up higher that he adored Commander Hama, bordering on hero worship. He hardly mattered in the grand scheme of things compared to people like the commander.

And he hardly mattered to Fiehzi before, Hsu couldn't remember a time that she willingly wanted to just talk to him. The proud Fiehzi, always quick with a barb or cynical remark -more often than not aimed right at him- never the scared Fiehzi, asking him for comfort.

Hsu awkwardly put a meaty hand on her thin shoulder, his plain face forcing a terrible looking smile, "It will be... alright?" he asked more than affirmed.

Fiehzi looked at him, then started laughing. Pretty laughter than quickly dissolved into tears. Hsu was cursing himself at her reaction, what kind of idiot was he anyway? "I'm so sorry!"

The implanted wind adept looked at him helplessly, her face filled with tears and her mouth quirked into a smile, "Thank you, Hsu." she said gravely, giving him a peck on his cheek before heading over to her own panel.

Hsu just stared after her, not quite sure what happened, but with a tiny smile on his own face all the same.

* * *

Somehow the books seemed stifling rather than comforting as Kraden sat among them. They seemed almost ominous, towering over him, covered in dust as if they didn't care what happened in the world outside of them.

Kraden, however old and dusty he himself was, was still human- a man of flesh and blood and therefore still involved in the world around him. He couldn't just disappear into a tome this time, or submerge himself in ancient tongues and symbols.

The whole of Headquarters was in disarray.

If the Prox were to find them now, the consequences would be dire.

"Professor?" Kay asked, maneuvering her way through the stacks of books by feel alone, "What are you doing here in the dark?"

Kraden looked around, it was dark he realized, perhaps that is why the mounds around him seemed so menacing.

"Here." Kay sighed as she switched the florescent lights on overhead.

"My thanks."

* * *

"We have incoming."

"Understood." Jenna replied forcefully, strapping the comm to her belt clip, every move filled with tension. She looked to the others in the room, communicating with her eyes what she could not say out loud.

* * *

It had been raining, the sky alternating between light and dark, shafts of the dying sunlight showing through patches in gray stormclouds. The sky itself shone with an innocent blue slowly fading to turquoise and then orange right at the horizon.

It would have been beautiful if Jenna had been paying attention, however her eyes only saw red on this flight.

Megaera was pulsing with her barely restrained psynergy, Jenna's control slipping and slipping as she felt the rising bloodlust. The systems whined as she pushed them farther and farther, her hands steady only from the adrenaline in her.

She met them over a previous battlefield, the pockmarked craters still visible.

Jenna wasted no time before she attacked, the indignant shouts of Garet and Ivan unheard. Her enemy was before her, what else was she supposed to do?

Her fervor caught Boreas off guard, she could imagine his smirk turning into a snarl as he belatedly brought up an ice shield. Jenna's fire reached inside, a flash at point blank range engulfed the ice mech.

The attack left her backside wide open, and the drones pelted her with gunfire. She didn't even feel it, she didn't even notice when Isaac brought up an earth shield and Garet and Ivan worked together to form a flaming tornado to send at them.

She formed fire blades, slashing at Boreas repeatedly before the ice mech wised up and smashed her with an ice pillar. She was sent reeling, seeing the earth and then the sky before she righted herself to rush at him again.

Boreas was expecting her this time, poised and ready and quick with the insults, "Pretty Megaera is angry." he laughed as their psynergy clashed, streams of red and blue arcing above them.

"Shut your fucking mouth!"

She flipped over him, an impressive display of agility she had never known she had, and blasted his back with magma.

"Damn it!"

Boreas stumbled, his right leg fused together at the joints, "Bitch!"

Ice erupted from the ground beneath her, spears razor sharp and cutting her armor in a million places. She would have been impaled if not for the superheated air around her that melted most of the attack before it reached her.

Then the ground collapsed underneath Boreas, the hole widening and reaching up to create a dome around him. However it never got to completely form as ice spouted out of the cracks, breaking apart the earth.

Jenna remained in place as Garet and Ivan and Isaac flanked her, the four surrounded by the destroyed and smoking drones laying on the ground.

They stared Boreas down, like some old western. _Noon, Main Street_. And waited to see who would draw first.

* * *

Dramatis Personae

Jenna: Megaera, Fire Adept

Isaac: Charon, Earth Adept

Felix: Deceased

Garet: Kirin, Fire Adept

Ivan: Eclipse, Wind Adept

Mia: Healer, Water Adept

Alex: Boreas, Water Adept

Saturos: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Menardi: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Agatio: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Karst: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Susa: Haures, Earth Adept, deceased

Hama: Commander of Western HQ, Wind Adept

Uzume: Command Liaison, Earth Adept

Kaja: Second in Command- Western HQ

Fiehzi: Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Hsu: Navigational Officer- Western HQ

Kay: Kraden's assistant

Obaba: Council Chair

Babi: Council member

Faran: Council member

Akafubu: Council member

Donpa: Council member

Dodonpa: Council member

Lunpa: Council member

Moapa: Council member

Hydros: Council member

Iodem: Babi's aide

Kraden: Scholar

Briggs: Mech Communications Officer-Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Chaucha: Mech Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Defense Elite: Mech Warriors

Ouranos: DE captain

Sean: DE sergeant

Drones: Plant-like servants of the Prox.

_Garusia_?

Traitor?

Judgement?

Anemos: People who lived in the sky.

Lemuria: People who lived in the ocean.

Emperor?

* * *

Disclaimer: I disclaim ownership!

I know it has been a long time in the making, and it is rather short, but that is where it needs to end for this chapter. Please Enjoy!

Flora Jupiter Vixen: Thank you so much, it is difficult to keep this up unless you get wonderful reviews. Thanks!

Persosn: Thanks to you too, reviews are what keep me going!


	9. Paradox

The sun set, light draining away from the sky, leaving only the velvet cloak of night. There were no stars or moon, no romantic nonsense- just the dim and aged storm clouds and the cold wind.

And the pulsing psynergy that enveloped her.

Harsh metal lines to her soft feminine curves, circuits and logic algorithms to her hotheadedness, structure to her chaos. She was one with the mech, and yet apart from it. The irony of paradox that was her very essence and her very bane.

Here she could harness the primal psynergy that flowed through her, using it to fly or attack, evade or parry. But she felt every enemy attack, she fatigued from the over extension of her power, and she reeled from the sometimes overpowering effect of it.

Jenna quivered in anticipation, knowing that action taken too soon or too late could lead to her downfall, reveling in that very fact.

There was nothing between Boreas and her now save for her own anger and hatred, and that was one thing she would not share. That was hers and hers alone.

They clashed, fire and ice, two titans over the primordial earth. Jenna was beyond words now, her native element taking control, the fiery passion that aided and burned. She couldn't hear the cries from Garet or Ivan, couldn't reply to the boy pilot Isaac.

There was nothing but rage, that cruel monster that controlled her heart. That demon that refused her tears, that leech that drained the love she used to hold so dear.

But rage was the angel that answered her prayers for power, the guardian that watched over her fight, the lord she swore fealty to.

The _thrumm_ and _clash_ of psynergy echoed in her ears, her displays blinked- furiously running lines of script that she wasn't reading. Her golden connectors numbed her body, vibrating badly from the output and input.

But Boreas was still here. _BOREAS WAS STILL HERE_!

"**Jenna**!"

She struck again and again, trading blows with the bastard. Pissed off beyond belief. _Why can't he just _die_! Why did he have to kill Susa! Why is Hama in a coma! Why have we been fighting a war for _five hundred years

She was hyperventilating now, her heart-rate soaring into dangerous levels.

"**Jenna, snap out of it!"**

She didn't stop, but pushed even harder, reaching for a level that would allow her to defeat the murdering bastard no matter what.

"**Jenna, stop!**"

But she couldn't hear, bloodlust filled her where there was nothing else, where there used to be kinder things. However, those were gone, ripped from her still living body and mind and soul until she was reduced to this. _Reduced to this!_

_This is all I am!_

_This is what should never be!_

"**JENNA!**"

_This is what you helped to create!_

_This is what festers in the back of your mind, in the back of your heart, and the back of your soul! This feral thing that controls and hates! This diseased demon that I can't be rid of!_

"**NOOOO!**"

Jenna didn't feel the fire erupt from her this time. Her child eyes were not filled with red, she didn't have overwhelming brilliance blind her to the danger she was in.

There was nothing but one cold thought...

_...this diseased demon that I can't be rid of... until you are gone..._

* * *

Mia could vaguely remember her mother playing the piano, rather logical melodies in an illogical frozen north. She could remember the simple black notes on the crisp white paper, and the small black keys scattered among the larger white ones. 

She could remember her mother, blue black hair and white skin, with fingers perhaps too short to play the piano beautifully.

Her childhood home, born of ice and sleet, her home now, born of sterilizer and procedure. _It was not so different_, she thought, rising from her desk in the med bay- _both cold and unwelcoming in their own way_.

She could even remember her father lighting the hearth, the strange sensation of noticing that the only source of orange was in that flame.

Mia sighed, wondering where her memories would take her this time while she wondered how Hama was. She walked to the commander's room, heavy healer robes weighing her down or perhaps just keeping her on the ground.

She was no fighter, she never was. She was too flighty except when it came to her work. So she clung desperately to the healer's code out of something more than filial piety.

Mia sat down on the one chair left by Hama's side, glancing distractedly at the many monitors and not really seeing them, knowing that she would have known something to be wrong be now.

That was not saying that she didn't believe in the philosophy of her ancestors, for truly how could violence be stopped with only more violence? But what excitement and danger! They lived life every day a new day, knowing that maybe today would be their last.

Fighters existed in the moment, she lived in the past.

Even looking at Hama now, pale skin and light breathing, brought forth memories of a younger Mia first starting out on her own. Memories of a younger Hama welcoming her aboard, serene smiles and gentle handshakes.

Fragments of memories that seemed greater than the whole of reality.

_Perhaps a violin would be more suited than a piano_, she thought, the strange quivers and wavers of the strings more acutely reflecting her fractionated mind. But she couldn't remember her mother ever playing the violin.

The people of her village, ghostly faces floating in her mind behind the clearer images of her family and _him_...

Mia shook herself, the unpleasant cold shiver running down her spine and spreading throughout her torso. She wouldn't, couldn't think of him. He was gone, a memory only.

But then why did she still think of him as being here? Why did she still see his face so clearly after all this time?

Why did she live in her memories?

As if there wasn't enough going on now, as if she wasn't needed to heal. She was being selfish, drowning in her own mind while the situation around them was so volatile. Someone could be shouting her name and she would not hear.

She slouched, her chest collapsing in on itself from the wave of depression she felt. It wasn't healthy, to live this way. To live a life in the past, when the present was not enough.

Sad and pathetic.

Hama stirred, the barest of movement as she frowned and turned her head.

Mia got up, quickly checking the monitors and making sure Hama was in no stress. She allowed herself the tiniest of smiles when she realized that Hama could wake up after all. That perhaps this sudden coma wasn't permanent.

Depression forgotten momentarily, she contacted Kaja, _finally some good news_!

* * *

One beat, and two. One step, and two. Beat, step, beat, step, and twist. Feet sliding across the marble floor, silks gliding across arcing arms and toned legs. 

She immersed herself in the dance, feeling nothing but the inner music to help her. Her mind blissfully blank for a moment or so, before she crashed back down into reality.

Here there was no sadness or joy, no pain or comfort, just her moving, never really one thing nor quite the other. She was like the willow of her homeland, beautiful and yielding, but strong and ever in motion.

She twisted and kneeled, arcing her back and swinging her hips, her long hair sliding across her bare back and chest and shoulders. Her skin prickled at the contact, even in the overheated room. She posed, artfully and seductively, nearly glowing in the firelight.

A low, deep chuckle reverberated against the walls and ceiling and floor and right through her. She shuddered, whether in fear or pleasure she didn't know, the two were so interwoven she could not tell the difference anymore.

"Never fear, Madam," he said, "We are feeling particularly benevolent this evening."

Uzume bowed gracefully, feeling the ghost hands and breath on her neck and breasts for a second before they disappeared.

"Dance for Us again," he whispered seemingly into her ear, the voice husky and needy, but still emitting power.

"Yes, Emperor," she breathed, her heart racing before she started to dance again, her body in this hellish room while her mind wandered to the peaceful forests of her homeland.

* * *

It was warm. 

She was filled with warmth after a lifetime of coldness and emptiness. A warmth that filled her and renewed her, a warmth that led her from the cold dark place she had been in and lifted her to a new one- full of warmth.

Perhaps she was dead.

Who knew that death would be so warm? She always thought it would be a lavender light that lasted forever, neither warm of cold, just there. Perhaps she was dead.

But if she was dead, why was she still thinking? Why was she contemplating it? _I think, therefore I am._

If this was death, then death was nothing.

She felt complete, in a way she hadn't felt in years. She felt her faithful friend, the wind, warm and sweet in her heart. The wind just flowed, without restraint or direction, through her and with her and lifting her and cradling her.

Where the wind had abandoned her before, it supported her now.

The wind came form inside her, and yet flowed to her. She was the wind, and yet the wind was not her. Maybe this was Nirvana.

And yet she was still herself, she could feel and remember and think. She wondered and sought answers around her. Answers from a warmth and nothing else. She was confused.

Where was she? In her mind? Her soul? Her heart? Somewhere that was neither these things? Or perhaps somewhere that was all of them?

Could she see? With her own dark ones or with her mind's eye? Maybe she was blind.

The wind whispered to her, a soft voice on the breeze, "Who is there?"

She answered, "I am Hama, are you the wind?"

A smile felt rather than seen, "Yes and no, in this place."

"Where is this?"

"A place the wind goes," thoughtful, "A place most can never find, nor understand, a place that comes and goes and is ever-changing."

"How am I here?" she asked.

"Perhaps you are dead."

She replied, "I already thought of that."

"Then your mind is disconnected from your body," the soft voice said matter-of-factly, "You must return soon or you will suffer."

"How are you here then?'

"There is a part of me that is always here."

"Where is the other part?"

A laugh, "I cannot tell you, but I foresee us meeting again."

"How do I return?"

"I'm sorry, but I cannot tell you," the soft voice sounded sad, "Nor can I help you, this is something that you must do on your own, but you will find your way, just follow the wind."

"Who are you?" she asked as the voice faded away.

The voice replied, seemingly far away but she couldn't know for sure in this place, "I am the child of the winds."

* * *

Dramatis Personae

Jenna: Megaera, Fire Adept

Isaac: Charon, Earth Adept

Felix: Deceased

Garet: Kirin, Fire Adept

Ivan: Eclipse, Wind Adept

Mia: Healer, Water Adept

Alex: Boreas, Water Adept

Saturos: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Menardi: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Agatio: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Karst: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Susa: Haures, Earth Adept, deceased

Hama: Commander of Western HQ, Wind Adept

Uzume: Command Liaison, Earth Adept

Kaja: Second in Command- Western HQ

Fiehzi: Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Hsu: Navigational Officer- Western HQ

Kay: Kraden's assistant

Obaba: Council Chair

Babi: Council member

Faran: Council member

Akafubu: Council member

Donpa: Council member

Dodonpa: Council member

Lunpa: Council member

Moapa: Council member

Hydros: Council member

Iodem: Babi's aide

Kraden: Scholar

Briggs: Mech Communications Officer-Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Chaucha: Mech Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Defense Elite: Mech Warriors

Ouranos: DE captain

Sean: DE sergeant

Drones: Plant-like servants of the Prox.

_Garusia_?

Child of the Winds?

Traitor?

Judgement?

Anemos: People who lived in the sky.

Lemuria: People who lived in the ocean.

Emperor?

* * *

Disclaimer: They are not mine.

Another chapter done, still short, but at least they are coming out on time right? Hope everyone enjoys, and my birthday is on the 5th _hint hint_ and since I won't get another chapter out by then, wish me happy birthday! (It's my 21st)

Dauthi: Thanks for the three reviews! Sometimes I think I am being too vague, but then I write something and I think everyone sees right through it. A little mystery is fun!

Flora Jupiter Vixen: Thanks, I am trying to lengthen the chapters, but I have so little free time to write so I just get what I can done and post it quickly.

Shiny Milotic: Sheba will _physically _show up, technically I have hinted at her presence already. Just wait for it, she is a very important character later. Besides, I like Sheba too, I couldn't leave her out could I?

Guy: Thanks for the review! I am glad you enjoyed it, and the updates should be short but regular.


	10. Enemy Mine

Jenna had a dream.

She was crying, great salty tears that stuck to her face and fingers, blurring her vision and making her nose run. She wasn't feeling particularly sad or hurt, just fearful. Of what she didn't know, only that something loomed over her, something unnamed and unseen, but still terrifying.

It lurked, an unwanted friend or perhaps a welcome enemy, she couldn't be sure. Only that it was there, and that it teased her subconscious.

Her surroundings faded in and out, going black and white to a multitude of colors. Constantly changing, but still the hauntingly familiar ground of her home. The once great city, that was nothing but rubble and debris. A repressed memory in her mind.

She shivered, not from the cold, but from the realization that this was a memory and not a dream.

Jenna saw Felix.

He was young, like she remembered. Covered in dirt and looking heart-wrenchingly noble and brave. Jenna longed to reach out to him, she longed to revert to her eight year old self, to cry.

But this was a memory in a dream, and she could only watch him from afar while her dream self was able to give in.

The ground shook, and they ran. They ran and ran and her small legs tried to keep up with Felix's desperate strides. And then the titan came.

The behemoth looked at her, through her, looked with her own eyes. It was there and not and Jenna lost her mind.

She raged, and fire burned. She lashed out and Felix was consumed by the flames, whether from her or the titan she couldn't be sure, she didn't want to know. She couldn't handle the truth- it burned too badly.

Jenna woke.

There was just the simple and gentle opening of her eyes, no screaming or sweating, just the peaceful rest she had long been denied.

She was in the mad bay again, Garet and Isaac faces close by and watching her intently.

"Jenna?" Garet asked quietly, his deep voice gruff, "Can you hear me?"

She blinked a few times, trying to get her cotton filled mouth to work properly, "How...long...?" she managed, trying to sit up.

Garet pushed her back down, "You've been out for three days! We were worried that..." he trailed off, "Don't ever do that again!" he fumed, "Do you know what I went through!"

"What happened?" she whispered, not meeting Garet's eyes after his outburst.

Isaac answered this time, "You beat him."

"What?"

"You beat him," he repeated, "Your fire... I never saw anything like it... it totally destroyed Boreas."

She was breathing heavily now, "He's dead?"

Isaac shook his head, "No, we captured him."

"You've had him this entire time?" she asked in disbelief, "Why isn't he dead?"

"No," Garet replied, sitting back into one of the chairs, "We captured him only a few hours ago. After the... battle... he was almost demolished and couldn't get away quickly. We had to search him out, the bastard was hiding."

"He was badly wounded," Isaac continued, "We had to treat him, or he would die before we got any information out of him."

"He is still unconscious in one of the heavily guarded private rooms," Garet muttered, "Kaja insisted on it."

Jenna frowned, "Is Hama still...?"

The two pilots looked at each other before Garet answered, "There's been no change."

She kept their gaze, still putting up a strong front. Somehow she believed that attacking Boreas would bring Hama back, and in the back of her mind- Susa and Felix. She knew it was impossible, but rage does things like that. It makes you think crazy and impossible things that a sane person would dismiss in an instant.

Perhaps she was insane. Not able to tell the difference between dreams and reality.

"How long do I have to stay here?" she asked, effectively changing the subject.

Garet looked relieved, "Mia said once you wake up you'd be fine. Do you want me to get her?"

Jenna nodded gratefully, she had enough of laying in bed for a lifetime. Garet left, leaving the slightly pale and drawn Isaac at her side. The boy pilot watched her intently for a moment before asking, "Do you want to see him?"

She brushed her long knotted hair out of her face, "Boreas?"

Isaac nodded, his large blue eyes still on her.

Clutching the immaculate white sheets, Jenna replied, "I might need to be restrained."

"I don't blame you."

"Why do you hate him so?" she asked out of curiosity. Anything that could command such loathing in the childlike Isaac was certainty worth her interest.

Isaac finally looked away from her, his innocent eyes becoming distant and secretive, "I don't hate him, I just don't blame you for doing so."

_But that didn't make any sense_, Jenna thought to herself. Isaac and Boreas clearly held animosity towards each other, how else could one explain their previous battles? Suddenly she was reminded of Hama's request, the request that she keep an eye on Isaac.

"Do you hate anything?" she asked softly.

"The Prox," he answered instantly, "What the Prox have done to us, what they have done to our world."

They were silent until Garet returned with Mia. The healer was looking harassed.

"_Thank you, Garet_," she sarcastically said, "I don't know how I would have ever known Jenna woke up."

"I just _told _you!"

Mia gave an unladylike snort, "'Just _told _me?'" she launched into a very good impression of the burly pilot, "'Mia! Jenna woke up! You have to release her NOW!' As he proceeded to nearly drag me out of my office!"

Garet looked miffed, "That's not true!"

Mia strode up to the taller pilot, "Oh?"

He cringed, "Just release her alright? We have work to do."

"_As if I don't_," Mia muttered loudly before turning to Jenna, "I just need to take out the IV, but take it easy for the next few hours, okay?"

"Since when do I ever take it easy?"

Mia glared at her.

"Alright, alright!" Jenna held out her arm.

The healer removed the needle with more force than necessary, and Jenna winced, "What's got you in such a huff?

"The prisoner woke up," all three pilots turned to her at this announcement, "And I'm apparently not cleared to examine him! It's not enough that I'm the most qualified and experienced healer here, but Kaja actually had Justin do it! _Justin_! That lazy-"

"Boreas is awake?" Garet asked, interrupting Mia's rant.

"That's the rumor," Mia said, clearly disgusted, "And then Kaja said some utter nonsense about the assignment being for my own safety! That medieval, chauvinistic-"

"Whoa, Mia," Jenna shook her head, "Do you know for certain?"

"It must be true, otherwise Kaja wouldn't be so insistent on it."

The three pilots exchanged the briefest of looks before hurriedly heading out the door, leaving a cross Mia behind.

* * *

Not far away, in another room of the med bay, a boy kept a silent vigil for his sister.

He waited patiently at her side, now that the enemy had been captured and he was free from his responsibilities. Capturing Boreas seemed trivial compared to his sister, his beautiful strong sister.

Ivan had not gotten any sleep for days, just the fitful restlessness that accompanied him like a shadow these few horrible days. He was haggard beyond his years, and sat at her side with an air of hopelessness that pervaded the entire room.

He had never felt so alone in his life. Hama had always been there, whether he liked it at the time or not. She was a constant in his world, the anchor he held onto.

And he desperately wanted her to anchor him now.

No more childish arrogance, or proving himself, Ivan just wanted to be held and know that Hama was alright. She was his family, he had never known the mother and father of assorted pictures his sister still possessed.

He only had Hama to fill the role of mother and father and sister.

But Hama... might not ever return to him, he admitted to himself, a sharp pang tearing at his chest. It was a hard thing for a fifteen year old to realize the mortality of those around him, especially those who seemed untouchable by an insignificant thing such as death.

Mortality was something the young did not think about.

But Ivan was immersed in it.

He thought about death, his fear of it now and the previous hilarity that it could ever happen to him or those around him. Not to him or Hama or Jenna or Garet, not really even to Susa. He had never felt his death, not like Jenna or Garet did. He had never understood why they mourned for so long, and continued to mourn even now. He never understood why they desperately clung to each other after the earth adept died.

But he understood now, even if he didn't want to. He wanted the days of ignorance back, days where the world was good- not bitter and lonely. He didn't want to grow up if it meant he had to live in that kind of a world.

But he couldn't have those days back anymore.

* * *

"What is it, old friend?" Hydros asked over the com, his lined face more strained than ever.

There was rummaging sounds in the background, and the loud heaving of Kraden lifting something clearly too heavy, "I've found it!" he gasped out, "I've finally found it, Hydros!"

The ancient council member leaned forward into the com, "Found it? What Kraden? What have you found?"

"Ha!" Kraden exclaimed as a **thunk** carried over the line, "The missing piece, Hydros! The 'key' that we have been looking for. The 'key' that will unseal the Stone of Sages resting in Sol Sanctum. The 'key' that will bring this war to an end!"

Hydros asked calmly, "Truly?"

"It is all right here," Kraden spoke, "It was all right here, right under our noses! We overlooked it."

Stunned, Hydros leaned back in his chair, staring at his blank office walls, "Tell me, old friend."

* * *

She didn't know what to expect, walking through the high security and into the prisoner's cell. Finally, she would meet the bastard Boreas face-to-face, she would finally have a tangible person to hate.

The guards nodded to her as she stepped through, knowing what the prisoner did, knowing what she felt. The whole station had been affected by their star pilot's death, only she felt it more keenly. They had mourned with her, though, and she nodded back to them, acknowledging their sympathies.

Garet and Isaac flanked her as she entered the small area in front of the cell joining Kaja. The older man was looking grim, his typically roguish features set in a scowl, "Good, you're here."

"So," Jenna motioned towards the dark cell, "Where is he?"

"I am right here."

He was handsome, was the first thought through Jenna's mind, tall and lithe with sharp features and dark blue eyes. Even the bruises, large and black and plentiful, didn't detract from his masculine beauty. He seemed also strangely familiar, with his almost blue black hair and something else that Jenna couldn't identify, this was followed by the realization that this _man _was responsible for the death of Susa.

He smirked at the sight of her, running his eyes up and down her body hungrily, "You must be the lovely Megaera."

Jenna fought the urge to both shiver in disgust and hit him, "You are sick."

He just continued to smirk at her, "And I suppose you are accompanied by Kirin and Charon?" he asked without looking away from her.

Garet stepped forward, "Watch it. Give us a reason and you'll be swimming with the fishes."

Boreas raised an elegantly arched eyebrow, "How droll, I see that your stupidity is not limited to the battlefield, Kirin."

Garet was about to rush towards him, but Isaac interrupted, "You can not escape from here, Boreas. If you will not tell us what we want to know, then we have no further use for you." he warned.

Jenna looked at the boy pilot, surprised at his ominous tone. Boreas also moved his eyes over to Isaac, deftly gauging the earth adept, "I suppose that is only fair, as I am a prisoner here. I certainly would expect the same courtesy from you."

"How very... noble... of you," Jenna said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Tch tch tch," Boreas tutted, "I would have expected you to be more lady-like, but I think I like this side better."

Jenna turned away, unable to face the despicable bastard.

"Where did you get your mech?" Kaja asked, "It is Proxian, isn't it?"

"Of course it is, Proxian mechs are superior to your own pathetic contraptions."

Kaja frowned, but didn't contradict him, "And just how, exactly, did you come into the possession of one?'

"Why, the Prox gave it to me," Boreas smiled.

"And why would they do that?"

"Well, they just happened to have a spare one laying around."

"Don't give me bullshit," Kaja cracked his knuckles menacingly, "This isn't the time for it."

Boreas was clearly weighing his options against the much larger man. Jenna didn't think he stood a chance if left alone with the muscular Kaja, not with the injuries he had already sustained.

"But I think it is," Boreas challenged.

There was silence for a long moment while the two men stared each other down. Kaja finally spoke after some consideration, "You three, leave."

Jenna exchanged glances with Garet and Isaac before asking, "Is that an order, sir?"

"Yes."

"Quite, listen to your CO." Boreas mocked from behind the bars.

"C'mon," Garet muttered, grabbing Jenna by the arm and leading her out of the room. Isaac followed a second later, his face harried.

Jenna looked back over her shoulder, catching a final glimpse of Kaja and Boreas before the reinforced door slid shut, blocking them from view.

* * *

Dramatis Personae

Jenna: Megaera, Fire Adept

Isaac: Charon, Earth Adept

Felix: Deceased

Garet: Kirin, Fire Adept

Ivan: Eclipse, Wind Adept

Mia: Healer, Water Adept

Alex: Boreas, Water Adept

Saturos: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Menardi: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Agatio: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Karst: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Susa: Haures, Earth Adept, deceased

Hama: Commander of Western HQ, Wind Adept

Uzume: Command Liaison, Earth Adept

Kaja: Second in Command- Western HQ

Fiehzi: Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Hsu: Navigational Officer- Western HQ

Kay: Kraden's assistant

Obaba: Council Chair

Babi: Council member

Faran: Council member

Akafubu: Council member

Donpa: Council member

Dodonpa: Council member

Lunpa: Council member

Moapa: Council member

Hydros: Council member

Iodem: Babi's aide

Kraden: Scholar

Briggs: Mech Communications Officer-Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Chaucha: Mech Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Defense Elite: Mech Warriors

Ouranos: DE captain

Sean: DE sergeant

Drones: Plant-like servants of the Prox.

_Garusia_?

Child of the Winds?

Traitor?

Judgement?

Anemos: People who lived in the sky.

Lemuria: People who lived in the ocean.

Emperor?

* * *

And here's another chapter. Just a few notes:

Some may be wondering why Boreas just didn't teleport out of the cell. Well, the answer is that the adepts can't really use psynergy without the aid of their mechs. At least not to that degree of control. The exceptions being Jenna and her fire, and the wind adepts and their telepathy. And to a certain extent, the other adepts have an innate awareness of their element at all times. Without his mech, Boreas cannot teleport given his injuries. And if the mech is damaged enough, he can't teleport. The same goes for using psynergy in a damaged mech- it doesn't work well at all.

So what has Kraden found? Will he blabber about it incessantly? Will Kraden save everyone?

And last, but certainly not least, the reviews!

SpasticDjinn: I haven't gotten a review from you in a long time! Thanks! I know about the run on sentences, trust me it was the bane of my existence in high school English class.

Guy: Thanks! The plot is picking up now, so that will mean shorter chapters. But the chapters will be more plot oriented than character oriented like the last- four? five?- have been.

Shiny Milotic: Thanks! I always said that Sheba would be in the story, and hopefully with a nice twist just to make things interesting :)


	11. Another Story

"It is time, Saturos."

The male Proxian looked to his female counterpart, her dark eyes serious as she held his gaze. Menardi walked to him, wrapping her warm arms around him. He returned the gesture, "It is certain then, love?"

She nodded, "We must act quickly, now. Before this opportunity passes us by."

"How soon?" he asked as he lead her over to the couch he had been reclining on.

Menardi sat down, smoothing her immaculate skirts before answering, "It will take some time to safely move her. A day, two at most."

Saturos paced the worn stone of the war room, "That may not be soon enough."

"We have no other choice," she insisted, "Not if we are to keep her safe from the Traitor."

He frowned, the gears of his mind working overtime to sort out every possible outcome. It was rather like a game of chess, before the move is made, one must think of the next and the next.

Menardi watched him pace restlessly, "We must move her. Somewhere he cannot find her."

"Once he finds out, he will come after us," he replied, taking her hands in his own, "We will have to fight him."

She squeezed his hands in her own, "I am ready, my love."

They held each other's gaze for a long moment before Saturos leaned in to capture her lips in a brief but passionate kiss. However, they did not have the time to indulge themselves, there was work to be done.

"We must inform them," Saturos said, missing their times together more and more, "Where is the _Garusia_?"

"Where else?" Menardi sighed, "With her."

He nodded, "I will inform them of the plan."

"Then I will prepare the mechs," she said determined, "There will be no mistake this time."

Saturos watched her go, his heart heavy in her absence. She would make sure there was no repeat of that freak accident all those years ago. Not with him, not now.

But he would also make sure she did not fight. He would have to leave without her knowledge, to protect her.

Walking out of the war room, Saturos quickly made his way to the lowest bowels of the base. Drones watched him from the shadows, eerily empty eyes following his every movement. Water dripped from the ceiling, the resulting splashes echoing down the long corridors.

There was nothing down here, unless you knew where to look.

He reached an interesting carving in the wall, a crest of intertwining fish and waves, surrounded by a ring of stars. It was an old crest that few alive today would recognize. However, to the ancient Lemurians, it was a symbol of the power of the ocean and the undying tides.

Reaching out, Saturos let his fingertips graze the surface of the crest, the stone cold and yet somewhat oily feeling. He focused, his eyes dilating and darkening with the use of psynergy.

He struggled to maintain the link, his chest rising and falling rapidly underneath his armor. Until finally the sea creatures engraved moved ever so slightly. The intricate fish flashed their fins, rainbow colored iridescent scales emerging from the stone. The waves crested and foamed, white and blue and black and green, the illusion becoming more and more real.

The stars glowed, bright yellow and blue and red, recessing into the stone only to peer out from the dark surrounding them, like real stars embedded on the dome of the sky. The scene of the ocean became more vivid and colorful, the waves and fish giving way to a wider picture of the vast expanse of cerulean blue sky touching the horizon of navy water.

And among the blue was a small speck of green, bright in the sun. It was an island, all cliffs and mountains, poking up from the rolling waves. The island was situated peacefully, light breezes and birds on the air.

But Saturos was not interested in a recreation of the past, he was only concerned about the future. Putting more psynergy into the illusion, it gave way, dissolving into a newly revealed door. He stepped through, making sure to seal the way shut behind him.

"Good day, Saturos," the Lemurian said cheerfully, getting up from his monitors.

The Proxian nodded in return, "Piers."

"To what do I owe this visit?" Piers asked, stepping heavily to the Proxian. His long blue hair was pulled into a ponytail and his yellow eyes were circled with black.

"You should take better care of yourself," Saturos stated.

A weak laugh, "I suppose so, but it won't matter in the slightest," Piers rubbed his chest absently.

Saturos frowned, "Where is the _Garusia_?"

"_I will send him out_."

The Proxian and Lemurian started, unused to voices speaking directly into their minds. Saturos concentrated and thought, "_Thank you_."

Clear laughter, like bells, "_You are getting better, Saturos_!"

His lips twitched, "Does she have nothing else to do?" he asked Piers.

The Lemurian shrugged, "Not really, she is isolated from all the other wind adepts, and I don't have the strength to converse with her that way."

Saturos watched Piers as he shuffled back to his monitors breathing heavily. Ancient Lemurian machines filled the stone room, the parts older than any of those present. High arched ceilings reminiscent of Lemurian architecture, complete with delicate convex pillars of marble.

Thick woven carpets covered the floor, gray with dust and faded with age. The intricate patterns could still just barely be seen, mer-people with golden tridents and chariots riding the waves. Priceless artifacts from a forgotten race.

The last artifact was Piers himself, a single survivor of the Traitor's bloodshed. The last of one of the most powerful people to walk Weyard.

"What is it, Saturos?" a deep voice asked.

The Proxian looked at him- the _Garusia_.

Not nearly as powerfully built as the Proxians, but he was tall and carried with him a singular presence that could not be matched, "Is it time?" he asked, stepping into the Lemurian's quarters through a small portal.

"You will have to move them," Saturos affirmed, "We cannot trust him."

Piers paled, his already ghostly complexion going near translucent, "Move!" he gasped out, clutching involuntarily at his chest, "Where? How?"

"Calm yourself, Lemurian," Saturos said sharply, "We do not have the time to deal with one of your episodes. I have already discussed the course of action with the _Garusia_- ask him if you have concerns."

Piers nodded stiffly, managing to glance away ashamed.

The _Garusia _watched the Lemurian, his expression unreadable because of his mask, "You must prepare, Piers. We are charged with moving her safely, and we _cannot _fail." the last part of his sentence spoken with force.

Giving the tall man a weak smile, Piers agreed, "Of course, I will start right away."

"You have forty-eight hours," Saturos warned, "We do not know how long the humans will be able to keep him."

* * *

He left Boreas in his cell with Kaja- the current commander. Whatever the older man did to him was not Isaac's concern, the bastard could fend for himself.

The boy-pilot removed himself from Garet and Jenna, giving a feeble excuse of returning to his own quarters. Garet accepted it, but Jenna gave him a _look_ with those dark eyes of hers, asking without a voice. He returned her gaze, his innocent bearing convincing her to leave him.

Isaac did go to his quarters, a small set of rooms barely furnished since his stay at HQ. It seemed empty to him, stark walls and floors and ceilings. Everything was white or gray, no color except for his navy flightsuit- but even that was dull.

He suddenly longed for his rooms at the Citadel, a cozy space he had known since childhood. Everything there was worn and colorful, nostalgic memorabilia of his past. There were even plants, bright green living things that seemed not to exist on HQ.

Feeling far away from his element, Isaac sat down stiffly at his desk. The swivel chair giving a faint squeak in response to his added weight.

There was no earth here, no feeling of comforting soil or familiar roots. An odd sensation for an earth adept, to be sure. There was only the dissociating feeling of flying, knowing that one is not on the ground but the tactile pull of gravity on your very bones.

It was different than being in his mech, Charon _was _the earth. Psynergy pulsed through him, Isaac couldn't remove himself from that if he tried. On HQ, there was nothing like that, the faint psynergy was not powerful enough to draw him to it.

He shivered, the ambient air temperature dropping as the ventilation fans started up.

**Brrrriiinnnngggggg...**

Isaac started, nearly knocking over his chair as he rummaged through his drawers for his com. The dull metal rollers on the bottom of the drawer slammed shut as he quickly flicked the com on, "Sir?"

A deep throaty chuckle issued from the other end, "Isaac, listen carefully..."

* * *

The wind was a bitter cold, harsh pin pricks of snow flying sideways across the barren landscape. Sky blurred into the horizon, a panorama of murky white as far as the eye could see.

And yet this was nothing compared to the stark wasteland of her home.

Karst stood outside, her hair whipping across her face, eyes watering, and lips chapped. Snow built up on her thick robe and piled at her feet. It skipped across the eroded stones she stood on, swirling in tiny eddies before being swept away.

Underneath her was the base, hidden in snow-fields by the ancient Lemurians in a time long past. It remained in testament of their fear, their inability to stop the rising evil that descended upon them from the heavens.

But even the Anemos, the powerful people of the wind, died out before the Traitor appeared. They could only hope that future people would pick up their legacies and use their power in defense of Weyard.

A responsibility that had fallen to her own people for their failure to stop the Traitor.

She clenched her fist involuntarily, anger and pride mixing to create a deep-seated duty that the Prox could not escape until the Traitor was annihilated.

"Karst?"

She turned around, "What is it, Agatio?" she asked the huge Proxian as he pulled himself out of the hatch leading to the underground base, "Do the humans have him?"

He nodded while he slammed the hatch closed, "Your sister confirmed it moments ago."

"I hope they kill him," she said, turning back to the bleak fields.

"The humans will most likely interrogate him first, Karst," Agatio said gruffly, coming to stand next to her, "The humans are inferior, but not complete imbeciles."

"Is that grudging respect, Agatio?" she said lightly.

"No," he replied, "Just a statement of fact. The real question is will he give them any information?"

She shook her head, "I doubt it."

"For some reason that is not a comforting thought."

Karst laughed, her breath misty, "I suppose it isn't, Agatio."

The two fell silent, perhaps watching or maybe even listening to the snow. At least they appeared to, as Karst's sharp mind was running scenarios and consequences. Deciding outcomes and probabilities like she was trained to do so long ago in another place far away not only in time but space.

The humans had captured him, and where would that route lead? What would they learn from this turn of events? Would their duty remain unchanged?

Perhaps nothing would happen, and Weyard would continue it's destructive war.

Either way, Karst did not care about the fate of this world. She only had her duty to fulfill- and that was of pressing importance.

She wondered how the man next to her saw their situation. The long time friend of her sister's lover, powerful adept and fighter, and her occasional conversation partner. A rather stoic conversation partner at best.

"Perhaps it is time to return, Karst." Agatio said quietly, stepping aside for the smaller woman to reach the hatch.

She nodded before following him, the wind was cutting through her thick robes, "I hate the cold."

* * *

Dramatis Personae

Jenna: Megaera, Fire Adept

Isaac: Charon, Earth Adept

Felix: Deceased

Garet: Kirin, Fire Adept

Ivan: Eclipse, Wind Adept

Mia: Healer, Water Adept

Alex: Boreas, Water Adept

Saturos: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Menardi: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Agatio: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Karst: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Susa: Haures, Earth Adept, deceased

Hama: Commander of Western HQ, Wind Adept

Uzume: Command Liaison, Earth Adept

Kaja: Second in Command- Western HQ

Fiehzi: Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Hsu: Navigational Officer- Western HQ

Kay: Kraden's assistant

Obaba: Council Chair

Babi: Council member

Faran: Council member

Akafubu: Council member

Donpa: Council member

Dodonpa: Council member

Lunpa: Council member

Moapa: Council member

Hydros: Council member

Iodem: Babi's aide

Kraden: Scholar

Briggs: Mech Communications Officer-Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Chaucha: Mech Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Defense Elite: Mech Warriors

Ouranos: DE captain

Sean: DE sergeant

Drones: Plant-like servants of the Prox.

_Garusia_: Masked Man

Child of the Winds: Female, Wind Adept

Piers: Lemurian

Traitor?

Judgement?

Anemos: People who lived in the sky.

Lemuria: People who lived in the ocean.

Emperor?

* * *

Disclaimer: Wow, I haven't done one of these in a while- I don't own.

Thanks for reading, and sorry for the lack of updates- ya'know life gets in the way.

Shiny Milotic: Sorry I haven't really answered any questions this chapter, but its been sitting on my computer forever just barely not finished and I wanted it up. Hopefully the next chapter will be a nice big plot-ridden one. And that one will answer questions!

Guy: Thanks! I can't answer for Isaac yet, hopefully this gave you a nice little glimpse without giving too much away.


	12. Massacre

Whispers were heard all around, even in the crowded cafeteria. Beneath the carefree greetings and good-natured joking, there was a sinister undercurrent, one of uncertainty and doubt that spread like a sickness through HQ.

It festered, like a deep seeded guilt. Always there, and no way to be rid of it save perhaps to confront it. But who would confront the fear of their own heart? Who would confront the state of Weyard? Who would save them from their own uncertainty and resulting anxiety?

Jenna frowned, absently poking at her noodles with a dirty fork. She heard the muttering of others, the restlessness of not _knowing_.

Hama was still comatose, their great leader fallen unexpectedly and suddenly. HQ was like a body without a head, still miming motions but not really knowing the reason why. Dangerous, the body does not like long without the mind.

"What do you think will happen now?" Garet asked, his own anxiety clear as his plate.

"Kaja will make him speak," she answered, resting the silverware down on her napkin, "After that... I don't know."

He looked away and exhaled deeply, his usual boisterous self hidden under hours of fatigue, "I forgot to tell you," he paused, "Kushinada is here."

Her eyes snapped up to him, but he refused to look at her, "What! When?"

"She got here shortly after we got you back," Garet said, shifting uncomfortably, "I didn't want you to overreact."

"I am not overreacting," Jenna snapped.

"Sure."

She glared at him, her eyes burning with anger. What the fuck did he know anyways? And she was not overreacting, Garet was just being a bastard. "Why?" she grated out, making no effort to hide her distaste.

"She came to see Hama," he answered quickly, "They were always close, especially after Susa died."

"Oh?" she mockingly said, "And you know all this?"

"Yeah," Garet affirmed more strongly than his previous statements, "Because unlike some people, I'm not a _heartless bitch _to someone who _doesn't deserve it_."

There was silence for a long moment before Jenna slammed her fists against the table, "You don't know anything, Garet." she said coldly.

The burly fire adept shook his head, "No, I _do _know, Jenna." his face a mixture of anger and pleading understanding.

She, however, didn't want to listen, perhaps she couldn't listen to him. Whatever it was, she had to get away from him before she did something she would later regret, "I'm leaving."

And at that, she left the cafeteria, her boots thudding against the floor in a quick staccato that quickly faded among the whispers.

* * *

Mia leaned back in her office chair, her vertebra popping one after another as she released a contented sigh. Now if she could only pry off her boots... _ah, that is better_, she thought as she wiggled her toes.

Her display screen flashed almost disapprovingly at her so she turned it off with a quick flick of her wrist. And only the ambient sounds of the med bay were her companions for the evening.

Tired, Mia reasoned she should head back to her quarters, but really couldn't be bothered to get up. _Perhaps I am getting lazy_, she wondered and laughed in that silly way people do when they haven't slept in days.

The swivel chair creaked as she shifted into a more comfortable position by propping her feet on her desk, clumsily knocking over a cup full of pens. The cylinders rolled off the desk, bright colors bouncing once before rolling again and away out of sight.

Mia didn't care though, her normally neat self compromising to pick them up later.

Her eyelids drooped as she thought of nothing in those restless yet lazy moments before sleep came. Strange dream-memories of snow and syringes and promises never kept as her mind finally cleared and sleep overcame her...

_...Mia..._

_...What is it?..._

_...I'll meet you there..._

_...Where?..._

_...In those fields..._

_...Fields?..._

_...I'll be waiting..._

_...No, don't go..._

...She awoke, fleeting images of memories long since past sweeping across her vision. Rubbing her eyes, Mia sat silently for a moment to collect her thoughts before glancing at her desk clock. She had only gotten a few hours.

About to try to fall asleep again, she stopped when Kaja entered the med bay- a dark shadow over his features as he came towards her, "Mia, you awake?"

"As I'll ever be," she answered, sitting up.

"Good, I need you to look over the prisoner."

She perked up at this, "Really? I thought I didn't have the clearance required."

Kaja waved his hand distractedly, "He's in... bad shape," he answered hesitantly, "It would be better if he got medical attention right away, rather than wait for one of the senior healers."

"That isn't very by-the-book," she said, knowing that Hama would definitely not approve.

"I'm not a very by-the-book kinda guy," he smirked at her, cracking his knuckles.

Mia frowned, not liking the way Kaja was treating the prisoner- enemy or not, "I'll see to it," she may not have approved of his methods, but she wasn't about to disregard an order.

He handed her a keycard and left with a warning not to get to close to the bars of the cell. She chuckled at this, for she knew him to be a fan of certain old movies.

Gathering her supplies, Mia stamped on her boots and headed to the brig. The walk was short, and she quickly passed through security by flashing the guards with her keycard.

The interior of the brig was dark, and the security door shut behind her before the next door opened allowing her to walk to the cell which held the infamous prisoner she had heard so much about for the last few years.

She stopped outside the dark cell, opening her small case for the equipment that would let her use psynergy. She lifted it up, and slipped the gauntlets onto her wrists, attaching the various connections to her arms and shoulders.

For an apparatus of healing, it looked more like a wicked weapon.

She concentrated, the psynergy flowing through the gauntlets before erupting outwards in a bright flash of light that lingered in the air.

Mia adjusted the gauntlets, a slight tingle telling her that the equipment was drawing too much pysnergy than normal. Satisfied with her results after a moment's testing, she finally looked up to her patient, only to stagger backwards in shock- a gasp escaping her lips.

He smiled in return, carefully approaching the bars that separated them, "Mia..."

* * *

Jenna stormed into her quarters, ignoring the incessant ringing of her com as she threw the device against the wall. The tiny com ricocheted off of the smooth paneling and fell silently next to her couch.

_How dare he! _she raged, _who made him so saintly?_ Garet didn't know when to keep his nose out of her business, the stupid bastard.

She slammed her fists into her well worn punching bag, watching the heavy thing swing slowly back and forth before sending it spinning the other way with a well aimed kick. Jenna continued this way for a few minutes, needing to let go of the anger piled up inside of her.

_I am not overreacting_!

But she knew she was only lying to herself, trying to prevent the inevitable pain that accompanied Kushinada whenever she met the other woman. It was a certainty, for how could she even look at her without seeing what she couldn't, and was never able to, have?

"Fuck it."

The punching bag served as her own personal stress reliever, especially at times like this when there were no other outlets for her fiery rage. She knew it would pass, it always did, and leave her behind with only self loathing and sadness she could no longer give tears for.

Jenna slumped against the wall, suddenly too tired to even beat up her mind's not-so imaginary opponents. She breathed heavily, her knuckles and shins tingling from impacting the surface of the punching bag.

She needed to calm down, she had just gotten out of med bay a few hours ago and her fatigued system was feeling the strain, that strange mixture of goosebumps and shaking that left her cold.

"Damn," her head hung low as she quietly muttered to herself, rubbing her eyes in a vain effort to keep from collapsing into unconsciousness. However, Somnus had other plans, and lured her into a deep sleep that was not unlike its twin, death.

She dreamed of normal things like winged fish and worms tunneling through the ground. Perhaps not the most exciting of unconscious adventures, but soothing to her troubled mind, and maybe the god of dreams was having pity on her.

Waking only a few hours later, but feeling like a new person, Jenna decided a visit to Hama was in order. The wind adept and commander had a calming presence, even in a coma, and the fire adept intended to make full use of that ability.

_Besides_, she thought as she headed towards the med bay, _I need to think of a way to apologize to Garet._ Jenna cringed at the gloating that would happen after that, he was Garet after all.

Whether it was a combination of stress or anger or both, she shouldn't have blown up at him like that. Garet was one of the few people who did know what she went through and understood and empathized with her. He was one of the few people she had ever opened up to completely, and he deserved a better friend than herself.

Sighing, Jenna automatically navigated to the med bay, resisting the urge to go and taunt the prisoner as she passed the brig. _Later_, she told herself, not quite satisfied that Boreas was in enough pain and discomfort.

Her almost sadism aside, Jenna opened the door to Hama's personal recovery room and slipped inside without a sound.

"Good afternoon, Jenna-_san_."

_Shit, of course _she _would have to be here_, Jenna thought as she spun around, "Hello, Kushinada."

If the other woman noticed Jenna's forced smile, she had the grace to not draw attention to it, "What happened to Hama-_sama_?" she asked quietly, her voice polite as always.

The fire adept frowned and sat down in another hard backed chair facing Hama and not Kushinada. The polite woman hadn't changed much since she saw her last, long straight black hair pulled into a low ponytail and oval face with delicate features. The only change was the clear eyes, not clouded by tears and rimmed in red anymore.

"We don't know," Jenna said, determined to make this meeting a more pleasant one than the last, "She just slipped into it."

"How awful," Kushinada whispered, laying a pale hand on Hama's even paler one, "This... must be hard, especially for you, Jenna-_san_."

She didn't know what to say, "I..."

"I had hoped to see you again, Jenna-_san_," Kushinada continued, her large doe eyes fixed upon Jenna's, "It is not good to leave others with resentment in their hearts when you can help." she said quietly, but with conviction.

"Kushinada, please don't worry," Jenna tried to divert the conversation, "I'm fine... I got over it."

She stared at Jenna hard, "Some things are not just 'gotten over'."

The fire adept looked away, unable to see her own faults reflected in this polite woman's eyes and fearful of what actually lay there.

Jenna had always suspected, no-known- that Kushinada was privy to her and Susa's relationship. He had never told her- of that she was certain- but she knew anyways. The overly polite and traditional woman that Susa had married had known, and yet she had never said anything.

She had never criticized, or judged, or resorted to anger like Jenna herself was known to do. She took it all with her polite smile and respectful bow, and then offered comfort to the 'other woman' in her grief and rage.

Jenna couldn't accept it then, the sympathetic embrace of sisters who loved the same man, and pushed Kushinada away. She had screamed and violently thrown anything within reach, but could not be comforted by _her_.

Kushinada had looked at her then, with eyes older than they should have been, and Jenna _knew_. She regretted it later, when the sharp pain had dwindled to a dull ache and her body was free to feel something other than mourning, but did not apologize for her actions- both in the past and more recent.

"I'm sorry," she said suddenly, her normally fierce face worried, her eyes asking for forgiveness, "For everything..." _For being a bitch, for letting Susa die, for everything..._

Kushinada looked taken aback for a moment before nodding solemnly, "You have nothing to be sorry for, Jenna-_san_. But I thank you." she smiled sadly.

The two women sat in comfortable silence for the first time, perhaps watching the steady rise and fall of Hama's breathing or hearing the constant rhythm of her heartbeat. For a minute, Jenna felt peaceful, as if her soul was lighter, and things didn't seem so bad.

* * *

Uzume gasped as she fell to her knees, collapsing into a heap in the circular room, unable to get back up.

The deep voice chuckled malevolently, filling her with dread, "Come come, Madame. We would think you would last longer."

She said nothing to this, knowing that her words would be thrown back at her- laced with poison. Struggling to stand, Uzume felt him around her, his ghost hands running up and down her, and leaving nothing unmolested.

Shivering in spite of herself, she finally stood and the hands immediately stopped, "What would you have me do, My Lord?" she asked, head bowed.

He sounded almost giddy with delight, "Our plan is in action, Madame. Soon all will come to a head and We will emerge victorious."

She glanced up, startled, before piously casting her eyes back down, "Truly?"

"Yes," he sounded thoughtful, "And when that day comes, you will be rewarded. We are pleased."

She smiled, inwardly unsure of his intentions, "You honor me." she replied, bowing to the screen he was behind.

* * *

Garet slapped the younger adept on his back, sending Ivan flying forward. The wind adept scowled at his friend, rubbing a shoulder, "What was that for?"

The burly adept laughed, "It looked like you needed a push in the right direction is all."

Ivan ignored the jibe, forcing his feet towards Kraden's office. He really didn't want to end up back there, but the professor had called them on the com going on about some discovery he had made. _Probably full of hot air_, Ivan decided, suspecting that the aging researcher was on the lookout for helpers.

And luck of luck, he just had to have Garet there- being his usual self. Why couldn't he go bother Jenna or Kaja? They could actually put up with him for more than two minutes. But when Ivan had brought up the female mech pilot, Garet had gotten angry. Maybe they had fought?

Anyways, it wasn't any of his business. Whatever was going on between them, he didn't want to know about.

_It could be about Isaac_, Ivan thought devilishly.

"What's so funny, little man?" Garet asked, poking his finger into Ivan's chest.

The wind adept swatted the appendage away, "Jenna and Isaac," he smirked, knowing he would get a reaction out of the older man.

"What?" Garet exclaimed, as Ivan hurried off, "Hey, wait! Get back here you little shit!"

Ivan ran ahead, knowing that if he got to Kraden first Garet would have to drop the subject or Kay would know all about it. He rounded the corner, the office leading off of this hallway and skidded to a halt-nearly knocked over by the juggernaut chasing him.

Blood smeared the walls and floor, great streaks of crimson on the dull gray metal. Several bodies littered the hall, limbs twisted in odd angles and necks snapped. Bullet shells, bright brass against the floor, were everywhere, and the weapons lay in twisted chunks of black.

Playfulness forgotten, Ivan and Garet rushed forward into Kraden's office, Garet pulling out his standard issue pistol and fumbling just a bit to cock it. The door was smashed open, like some giant hand had slammed on it, the mountains of books inside tumbled over and ripped apart.

But even this could not have prepared them for the carnage inside.

Kraden was there, his weathered face lifeless and blue eyes staring up into nothingness. A pool of blood surrounded him, his intestines leaking out from a gash that cut up through his side. Kay right beside him, her long hair ripped out in clumps, dark purple bruises ringing her neck, and her arms tied tightly behind her. She lay on her side, her once laughing face frozen forever in an expression of shock.

Ivan staggered backwards, clutching at his mouth as he fought the urge to vomit. He had never seen anything like this- not up close. It was... too terrible for words.

Garet rushed forward, picking up his sister and shaking her, "Kay? KAY?" his voice rising in volume and desperation before he finally lay her back down, shutting her eyes. He knelt, his body still as Ivan surveyed the rest of the room.

There was someone else, he realized as he spotted another pool of blood slowing inching across the floor from behind some more books. Ivan nudged Garet, motioning towards his discovery. The two went forward, and then quickly turned away at the sight of what was left of Hydros.

Ivan paled, his breaths coming in shorter and shorter gasps and his mouth dry. Garet noticed and told him to wait outside, he would call for backup.

The wind adept mutely nodded and stepped out of the office turned massacre.

* * *

Dramatis Personae

Jenna: Megaera, Fire Adept

Isaac: Charon, Earth Adept

Felix: Deceased

Garet: Kirin, Fire Adept

Ivan: Eclipse, Wind Adept

Mia: Healer, Water Adept

Alex: Boreas, Water Adept

Saturos: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Menardi: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Agatio: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Karst: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Susa: Haures, Earth Adept, deceased

Hama: Commander of Western HQ, Wind Adept, comatose

Uzume: Command Liaison, Earth Adept

Kaja: Second in Command- Western HQ

Fiehzi: Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Hsu: Navigational Officer- Western HQ

Kay: Kraden's assistant, deceased

Obaba: Council Chair

Babi: Council member

Faran: Council member

Akafubu: Council member

Donpa: Council member

Dodonpa: Council member

Lunpa: Council member

Moapa: Council member

Hydros: Council member, deceased

Iodem: Babi's aide

Kraden: Scholar, deceased

Kushinada: Susa's wife, Earth Adept

Briggs: Mech Communications Officer-Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Chaucha: Mech Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Defense Elite: Mech Warriors

Ouranos: DE captain

Sean: DE sergeant

Drones: Plant-like servants of the Prox.

_Garusia_: Masked Man

Child of the Winds: Female, Wind Adept

Piers: Lemurian

Traitor?

Judgement?

Anemos: People who lived in the sky.

Lemuria: People who lived in the ocean.

Emperor?

* * *

Disclaimer: Nah, I don't own it. Could you imagine if I did:)

A quick update! This chapter didn't want to sit on the computer at all. A bit gory at the end, but the fic is rated PG-13 and I haven't pushed the rating in a few chapters.

I can't respond to you here, but I will thank Shiny Milotic and Guy for their reviews!


	13. Snowfields of Innocence

"How is Takeru?" Jenna asked softly.

Kushinada looked up, a sweet smile on her face as she thought of her son, "He is well, thank you. Growing so fast, and he looks just like his father."

"Is he in Izumo?"

"Yes," she said, absently brushing back a strand of hair, "I would have liked to bring him, however..."

Jenna nodded, understanding her fear. Quite frankly, she was surprised Kushinada even made the trip. She must have been very concerned for Hama.

A sudden voice startled her, the overhead PA had come on, "_Paging Commander Kaja, report to level 3-A_."

The two women looked at each other, confused. Level 3-A was a residential level.

"What is happening, Jenna-_san_?"

The fire adept shrugged, "I don't know, it is unusual to page the commander- much less to go to a residential level."

"Perhaps you should investigate the matter?"

Jenna got up, smoothing out her burgundy tunic, "I think I will," she paused, "I hope we can talk again." she said earnestly.

Kushinada smiled, "I would like that very much."

The fire adept nodded and left, confusion over-running her mind as she went to find out what exactly was going on.

* * *

There were colors and lights, disembodied and floating around her. They came in strange shapes- faces and hands, changing from one to the other and then back again. The faces smiled and frowned, laughed and scowled, and even pulled funny expressions that made Hama forget her situation for a few precious seconds as she inwardly laughed.

The phantoms laughed with her, turning bright yellows and oranges, their faces melting and reforming and smiling all the while.

Then they sunk into the landscape, an area of fushia hills and emerald skies, where the water ran indigo and grasses grew in a variety of colors. White birds flew overhead, their feathers trailing off into nothing as they seemed to appear out of the air itself.

Hama leaned back onto the ground, the surface molding to her form, and relaxed- her hair the only dark thing to contrast with the color save the black sun in the sky.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" a familiar voice asked lightly.

Hama replied, "It is peaceful here, but I wish to return to the real world."

"Mmmm," the voice agreed, "Events in the real world have started to come to a head, and you must find a way to return."

"You cannot tell me?" Hama asked, frowning, "What if I cannot find the way?"

"You will," the voice sang, "For you are the only one who can return yourself, otherwise you will remain here, forever."

"I cannot do that."

"Then you will find the way," the voice said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "And soon we will meet."

"I look forward to that day," Hama said formally.

The voice laughed, "So do I," she hesitated for just a moment before continuing solemnly, "But I can only hope it is not too late."

"What?" Hama questioned, but the voice did not answer her. The only sound now was the wind, blowing gently and teasingly.

* * *

Jenna reached the residential level in record time, passing up multitudes of techs and guards hurrying this way or that. She tried to question them, but they only pointed her onward.

Restraining from making rude comments or gestures, she continued, pushing her way through a taped off area and through a smashed doorway. Jenna paused and did a double take, not quite believing the state of the door. It was totally demolished, the thick metal crumpled like a piece of paper. Whatever caused that was not something she had ever seen before.

"Jenna?" came a timid voice from her right side.

She turned, only to see the hunched over form of Ivan. His face was pale and his breathing staggered. He looked absolutely horrible, his wide eyes staring at her.

"What happened here, Ivan?" she asked, kneeling down to his eye level, "Who did this?"

He licked his lips, the dry and chapped skin slowly moving as he spoke, "Me and Garet got a call from Kraden... So we came over... There was... So much blood... I..." he trailed off, his speech broken and wavering.

Jenna quickly got up and stepped through the ruined doorway, pushing aside the healers clumped around she finally saw just what had happened.

There was Kraden and Kay, laying on the ground, clearly dead. She took a half step back, eyes widened in shock at their bodies. They were slaughtered.

Garet was in the corner, quietly watching the healers as they systematically investigated the scene. His face was lax and his eyes dull in their sockets, he sat hunched over- like the wind adept just outside- running a nervous hand continuously through his spiky hair.

She silently approached him, catching a glimpse of another body in the periphery of her vision, "Garet?" she asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He looked up, almost not seeing her, "Jenna?" he said, surprised.

"What happened? I tried talking to Ivan, but he couldn't..." she waved her hand dismissively, knowing that he would understand what she meant.

"I don't know," he answered in a gruff voice, "We found them like this. We are waiting to get debriefed by Kaja."

"Garet, I'm sorry," she said, knowing that it wasn't enough.

He smiled weakly at her, "I hasn't quite sunk in yet, ya' know?" he paused, "I'm sorry too, I was way out of line earlier and-"

"-No," she cut him off, "You weren't."

"You talked to her?' he asked hopefully.

She sighed, "Yes."

"And you realized what a bitch you were being?"

"Yes." this a little more gritted.

"Good," he nodded.

She fell silent, not knowing what to say to him. Sure she could empathize, but she had never been a comforter of others. It wasn't in her nature.

Kaja walked in, looking more harried than usual. His withered face stony and hard as he saw the bodies. Jenna came up to him, "Sir?"

"This is horrible," he muttered, shaking his head, "Why do this to a scholar?"

"And a council member." Jenna added.

Kaja whipped around, seeing the other body beyond the books. He quickly turned on his com, shouting orders, "I want all the council members put on high alert, with a security detail attached to each of them until further notice. If they give you trouble, tell them Hydros has been murdered."

The voice on the other end squeaked back, "_Yes sir!_"

"Jenna-" Kaja started while he put his com back into his belt, but never got to finish as the object rang loudly. He cursed, flipping it back on, "What!"

"_Sir, you are needed in the brig immediately_."

A cold shiver ran down Jenna's back, _it couldn't have anything to do with... no it couldn't_... she decided. _It was just a coincidence_.

"What the _fuck _is it _this _time!" Kaja raged, turning the com off as he stomped out of the room. Jenna followed closely, motioning to Garet that something was up. The burly adept stood and then hurried to her side after pulling Ivan to his feet and dragging him along.

Jenna looked at Garet questioningly. He replied, "We can't just leave him there." he whispered over Ivan's head.

The wind adept didn't even seem to notice what was going on, his movements mechanical and automatic, his eyes staring into some faraway point.

Security stood outside the brig as well, none of the members meeting Kaja's gaze as he went past them, Jenna and the others following closely behind. Unlike the scholar's residence, there seemed to be no outward destruction, nor were there any bodies laying in pools of their own blood.

However, as she went further in, there was no prisoner either.

"Shit." Garet cursed beside her, her own mind reeling at the implications of this turn of events. There was no smirk behind those broken bars, no taunts and no insults. Only a faint whimper, coming from a hunched over form sitting on the bare cot in the corner.

"Mia?" Ivan asked, coming out of his stupor in sheer shock.

Jenna looked closer, it was indeed the healer, "Mia, what are you doing in there? Where is Boreas?"

Kaja came forward, "Mia?" he asked.

"His name is Alex..." she whispered, tears falling down her cheeks.

* * *

She felt chilled, not like the cold she was used to, but an emptiness that left her full of sorrow. Huddling over the cot didn't help in the slightest, and she wondered if perhaps the stories of a heart of ice from her childhood were indeed true.

"Mia?" it was Ivan again, dear sweet Ivan who only wanted to prove himself. Along with Jenna and Garet, both staring at her in shock and disbelief and confusion. Steadfast Jenna, who never wavered, and hotheaded Garet who could always put a smile on her face.

_Perhaps not anymore_, she thought, _even he would have a hard time making me smile again_.

"Mia, what are you doing in there? Where is Boreas?" Jenna asked, her brows furrowed and her voice tight.

Even Kaja asked, "Mia?"

What could she tell them? What could she _not _tell them? "His name is Alex..." she whispered ashamed, fresh tears leaving salty trails down her cheeks. She heard the collective intake of air, and knew that she had doomed herself.

"How do you know that?" Kaja asked sharply, stepping forward.

She looked down to the worn floor, realizing she had doomed herself long ago and that she couldn't change the past. She could only now affect the future, and that future was a bleak and desolate one, not only for herself but all of Weyard, if she did not tell the truth.

"It started on the snowfields of my hometown, Imil..."

* * *

I could remember him even then, as a young girl wrapped in my new parka, cheeks rosy from the cold and eyes bright and innocent. He was so tall and handsome, I remembered thinking in that way young girls do, heads filled with romantic notions.

He had introduced himself to my mother and me, taking care to smile and shake our hands. I think I fell in love with him then.

And that feeling never faded over the years he was with us, nor when I grew older and could more easily see his own flaws, but not fault him for them. He was arrogant and cold, but not to me. For me he gave smiles and jokes, for me he gave thoughtful glances that made me shiver and had nothing to do with the cold.

He was there when my own mother and father weren't, he was there when I graduated to the village's secondary instructions for healing, and he was there in my mind- late at night when I wondered in that time before sleep.

We would spend hours in the snowfields outside the village, completely disregarding warnings to not wander away. The war seemed so far from my mind then.

And that was how my world shattered.

He had asked me to meet him there, out on the barren fields. That place where nothing lived and yet the place I felt the most alive. I agreed, my heart hammering in my chest as it always did whenever he was near.

I remember the silence, away from the village. A sudden stop that left your ears straining to hear, that left you wondering if you had gone deaf. Perhaps you could hear the snow fall, but I wouldn't know.

Sky blended into the horizon as I waited, leaving me enveloped in white- the color of innocence. And I waited for him.

The light faded, signaling the setting sun and the corresponding drop in temperature. I may have been naive, but I wasn't stupid enough to wait after dark. I trekked back home, my boots leaving prints in the snow as it crunched beneath my soles.

I smelt it long before I saw or heard it, perhaps that is why the memory is so deeply ingrained. Smoke, fire, and the unforgettable stench of burning bodies. I ran, until my legs almost gave out and my breaths came in harsh gasps that left my lungs raw. And what I saw left me on my knees.

Imil was gone.

The tiny village where I lived was now a blackened crater in the pristine snow. I nearly tumbled down the hillside, my hair freezing to the sides of my face. I sat for a moment, catching my ragged breath and taking in the scene before me.

The cheery wooden houses were piles of ash, support beams sticking up like broken splinters. The glass windows had melted in rivulets and then solidified again when they hit the snow. Blood also tainted the snow wherever I looked, splattered against the ground like paint on a canvas.

I shuddered, fighting the bile rising in my throat, trying to stop the shaking that wracked my body. I was no use, I collapsed and vomited.

I tried to wipe my face, surprised when my glove caught the frozen tears on my cheeks and eyelashes. I shut my eyes, unable to keep them open any longer.

Grief and sorrow and fear and anger rose up in me, along with a million other emotions that I wasn't in the state of mind to identify. They welled up, but only left a chasm in my body, a strange prickling sensation in my chest.

I don't know how long I lay there, but it was dark when I opened my eyes wide again, a faint whisper of a name that brought me out of my misery.

"Mia?"

I looked up into his face, concerned but cold, "Alex!" I breathed in a throaty whisper, throwing my arms around him tightly and holding him close.

"I was so worried, Mia," he said softly, rubbing circles on my back in a comforting manner, "I thought that you were gone."

"What happened?" I asked, my face buried in his shoulder.

"The Prox," he answered matter-of-fact.

I stared at him then, "_What_! But they haven't been seen for years! And why would they be this far north?"

He gazed at me levelly, "Imil was betrayed."

Horrified, I sank back against him, grabbing his cloak in my fists, "By who?" I whispered urgently, "Who could do that?"

"I did."

I couldn't breathe, "No..." I choked out, pushing him away, "You couldn't have..."

"Mia," he reached for me, caressing the side of my face as I have always wanted him to do, "Beautiful, naive Mia. Imil means nothing."

"Nothing! What of my mother and father? What of all the other healers? They mean nothing!" I screamed, shaking my head wildly, "What of our ways? You have destroyed that!"

"Compared to what I will do, it is nothing but a stepping stone," he replied, "A way for me to gain the trust of the Prox."

"I-I don't understand."

He smiled, "You will, Mia."

At that he got up and turned to leave, but I cried out after him, "Alex! Why didn't you... why didn't you kill me, too?"

He stopped, but did not face me, "I couldn't bear the thought... I..." he trailed off.

My heart nearly broke in two, half of love and the other half of hatred. How could he do this? How can I still feel for him, after what he has done? How can I hate him, after all of our times together?

He walked away, disappearing into the snow and fire and smoke and blood. All that he had caused, and yet I still called after him as he left.

* * *

There was silence in the brig, a damning silence.

Mia couldn't face them, and yet she still had to continue.

* * *

I couldn't speak when I saw him in that cell, his face bruised but still beautiful after all the years. He regarded me with a smirk, coming into the light and next to the bars, the shadows only heightening his injuries tenfold.

"Mia."

My mouth made words, but no sound came out.

"Mia," he repeated softly, beckoning me closer, "I thought I would not see you again."

"You... you're Boreas..." I said stupidly, clutching my hands to my chest, "You did all those horrible things, and yet you still say my name? How... how dare you."

"I will always say your name, Mia" he replied, "I will always."

"No," I snapped, stepping away, "You don't have that right anymore, you gave it up along with Imil."

He frowned, "I saved you."

"You killed me!" I shouted, "You shattered me and left me there on the snowfields! You broke my heart!"

"It broke my heart to leave you," he said, not meeting my gaze.

"_You have no heart!_" I screeched, my own voice unfamiliar, "_You are a monster_!"

"Perhaps," he agreed, "But then all humans would be monsters."

The cold realization of truth plunged into me, am I a monster too then? For loving one? "Shut up, you have no place to be telling me." I whispered.

"Mia," he said as softly, "There is nothing to concern yourself over. The war will be over soon, and we will have only each other to answer too."

"What?"

"I will stop all of this fighting."

Could he truly? Could he stop the bloodshed? "How?" I asked.

"But you must help me now," he said, ignoring her question, "You must lend me your psynergy so that I might escape."

I frowned, shaking my head, "No, I can't let you go."

"Then the fighting will never end," he looked at me, "Is that what you want, Mia? Endless fighting and killing? Doesn't your code abhor that kind of state?"

"I..."

"Let me out, Mia." he intoned quietly.

How could I trust him? How could I claim to have loved him, and not ? Why couldn't I just go back to the days when my heart was not hardened against him?

I stepped forward, the gauntlets on my wrists glowing with psynergy. Concentrating, I held them up against the bars, the bright blue of water and ice wrapped the metal tentatively at first, and then with greater and greater power. The bars snapped.

I collapsed onto the hard floor, breathing heavily at the exertion. _There, it was done_, I thought, _now I could bury my heart in peace_.

"Mia," he stepped forward and wrapped me in his arms. I didn't have the strength to resist if I wanted to, "I will come back for you. I love you."

I shut my eyes, "Just go," I managed, unable to hold my heart in place still, "Go before I change my mind."

He removed the gauntlets from my wrists, and slipped them onto his own, "I will end this, Mia. You have my word."

He kissed me then, hard and long for the first time.

"Go..." I whispered to his retreating form.

* * *

Mia couldn't meet their gaze, instead staring down in shame and sorrow. _What must they think now? _

"You stupid..." Jenna growled out, "How could you just let him go? Don't you realize what you've done?"

She winced at the fire adept's harsh words, "I'm sorry."

"'_Sorry' won't bring back Susa_!"

Silent, she couldn't say anything to refute that statement.

"Mia," it was Kaja this time that spoke, "Where did he go?"

"I don't know," she whispered, forcing the words out of her dry mouth, "He left without saying."

"Damn it," Kaja cursed, "Fiehzi, bring up the security for level 3-A and the mech bay." he must have been speaking into his com, "Just do it, girl!" he shouted.

"You don't think...?" Garet's voice.

"That a murdering bastard got to Kraden, Hydros, and your sister? That's exactly what I think," Kaja snapped, his ire rising, "He's probably escaping in a mech right now and if you want to stop him, you had better get your ass down to the mech bay!"

"Sir," Jenna said, her voice like ice.

_Kraden, Hydros, and Garet's sister? Gone? Had Alex done it? _Mia huddled in on herself, barely hearing Kaja as he spoke hurriedly to Fiehzi in angry tones. Barely registering Jenna and Garet's departure with Ivan on their heels.

_What have I done.._.

* * *

Hama drifted in her dreamscape, unable to search any longer. The mysterious voice had been of no help.

She had searched for a way out, only finding the unyielding wind to meet her. A wind so alien she had not been able to understand it's utterings, a hostile wind that pushed her back whenever she came to close.

Hama didn't know what to do, for the first time in her life she felt helpless and scared.

Perhaps there was no way out? Perhaps she really was dead and this was her own hell? Perhaps she had gone insane, and this was to be her mind now. Forever lost and forever alone.

"Perhaps not alone, at least." the voice said.

"Help me leave this place!" Hama begged, "I cannot stand it any longer!"

"I told you I cannot do that," the voice said sadly.

"Then I will die here," Hama whispered.

"Believe in the wind."

"I have always believed in the wind," she said, "I have always let it guide me. Only this time it takes me to a place where I cannot go, a place that rejects me."

"Does it?"

"It pushes me away, it speaks in words that I cannot understand."

A smile felt, "Belief doesn't require words or actions. Belief is in the heart and the soul, not the mind."

"But-" Hama started, incredulous.

"-Believe in the wind," the voice repeated, fading away.

"Wait! Don't leave!" but her words were not answered.

Hama tried to go forward, but was pushed back. She folded in on herself, half in pain and half in sadness. Why wouldn't the wind let her through? Why would the wind only lead her to pain? What did she _have to do?_

"_Believe in the wind..._"

Whether the words were spoken or merely in her memory, Hama didn't know. There was only a sense of desperation in her now, dark and bottomless and threatening to consume her. Piece by piece it ate at her, tearing at her hope and love with sharp teeth.

She cried out, loudly or in her mind she didn't know, but it also didn't matter. The wind howled at her now, it pushed and pulled at her, sharp gusts cutting into her and blunt bursts slamming into her.

There was pain and loneliness.

Hama tried to fight back, but the wind only pushed her back down. How could she fight? How could she resist?

"_Believe in the wind..."_

And Hama understood.

She stopped resisting the wind, no matter how it tore at her. No matter how it cut into her or left her with pain as her companion. And while the wind raged, she submitted herself to it.

It hurt, like thousands of tiny knives or millions of grains of sand slicing her. But she pressed onward, through the storm, through the delirious pain until she was about to burst from the wretchedness of it all.

And for a glorious moment it stopped, a moment of peace and comfort.

And Hama opened her eyes.

* * *

Dramatis Personae

Jenna: Megaera, Fire Adept

Isaac: Charon, Earth Adept

Felix: Deceased

Garet: Kirin, Fire Adept

Ivan: Eclipse, Wind Adept

Mia: Healer, Water Adept

Alex: Boreas, Water Adept

Saturos: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Menardi: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Agatio: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Karst: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Susa: Haures, Earth Adept, deceased

Hama: Commander of Western HQ, Wind Adept

Uzume: Command Liaison, Earth Adept

Kaja: Second in Command- Western HQ

Fiehzi: Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Hsu: Navigational Officer- Western HQ

Kay: Kraden's assistant, deceased

Obaba: Council Chair

Babi: Council member

Faran: Council member

Akafubu: Council member

Donpa: Council member

Dodonpa: Council member

Lunpa: Council member

Moapa: Council member

Hydros: Council member, deceased

Iodem: Babi's aide

Kraden: Scholar, deceased

Kushinada: Susa's wife, Earth Adept

Takeru: Susa and Kushinada's son

Briggs: Mech Communications Officer-Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Chaucha: Mech Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Defense Elite: Mech Warriors

Ouranos: DE captain

Sean: DE sergeant

Drones: Plant-like servants of the Prox.

_Garusia_: Masked Man

Child of the Winds: Female, Wind Adept

Piers: Lemurian

Traitor?

Judgement?

Anemos: People who lived in the sky.

Lemuria: People who lived in the ocean.

Emperor?

* * *

Whew, a nice long chapter for all those who have been waiting! Things should really move now, and several battles are coming up for those who have missed them. I should have added an honorific explanation the last chapter, but fanfic is so full of Japanese mannerisms I thought it redundant. ( Although Hama-_sama_ still cracks me up!)

Thanks to Guy, Shiny Milotic and Seresia Tenshi for reviewing! Until next time!


	14. Three's Battle

There was a sense of desperation as Jenna, Garet, and Ivan went to their mechs. Desperation and urgency that solidified in their stomachs, and that drove them onwards. No sound was made between the three, the moment too solemn for words.

But even that could not stop the gasps of disbelief as they saw their mechs.

They were mangled. Great shards of ice stuck out like acupuncture needles, effectively pinning the mechs to their holding cradles. Massive pieces were missing, ripped out and leaving jagged open wounds that leaked not blood but faintly glowing psynergy.

The mechs were not the only casualties either. The many devoted mechanics lay in heaps on the polished metal floor, limbs twisted in unnatural angles, lifeless eyes staring into a nothingness that only they could see.

"No... not again." Ivan whispered, shutting his eyes and clenching his fists.

Jenna looked at the boy in sympathy, but could do nothing to console him. People die, sometimes needlessly, and nothing was going to change that. She almost laughed at her own hypocrisy.

"Where is Charon?" Garet asked.

She looked up, _where was the mech? _She could recognize the mutilated heaps of the others, but Charon was missing. And know that she thought about it, so was Isaac.

"I don't see him either," Ivan frowned, his glance darting back and forth, "Did he take off after Boreas?"

"How would he know?" Jenna replied, not liking where this train of thought lead.

"Wherever he is, we can't follow him with our mechs messed up like this," Garet growled, "We have to report this to Kaja."

"What should we do?" Ivan asked while Garet had a one-way shouting match with his com, "It's useless to stay here..." he trailed off, deliberately not looking at the bodies scattered about.

Jenna placed her hands on her hips, "We can track Charon with the satellites, we have his psynergy signature, but I'm afraid we're out of commission until our mechs are repaired." she said angrily, the grinding of her teeth nearly audible.

"Kaja said for us to go to the bridge anyway," Garet interrupted, "It seems like they're picking up massive psynergy readings not too far away."

"What is it?" Jenna asked as they started for the bridge.

"They aren't 'exactly sure'," Garet answered, clearly agitated, "But what else could it be?"

Jenna looked to him sharply, "A battle?"

He nodded.

_Damn_.

* * *

"The time is now, dearest."

Menardi looked up from her console, "Are you sure? We aren't ready yet, Saturos."

"I know," he said, walking across the room to his lover, "But Fate has been sent into motion, and we must act now or lose the chance for justice."

"Tell me what to do," Menardi replied, standing up to her impressive height and a faint glow of psynergy surrounding her.

Saturos reached out to clasp her hands, "I need you to stay here-"

"_-What!_" she wrenched her hands away, eyes shining red, "I will not let you go by yourself. I won't make a mistake like that again!"

"Menardi," he pleaded, "You must understand. You are needed here."

"More so than Karst or Agatio?" she snapped, taking a step forward, "The only place I am needed is at your side!"

Saturos took a step back, "I'll be able to handle it."

"That is what you said twelve years ago! If you had been able to 'handle it' then why was Catastrophe nearly burnt to ashes?" she said, "I am going with you!"

"No you are not!" he grabbed her by the shoulders, "I will not have you needlessly hurt! That is an order, Menardi."

She stared at him hard for a long moment before speaking, "I understand, Saturos. However, if there is the slightest sign of trouble I will be there- orders or not."

He breathed a sigh of relief and embraced her closely, "I will not give you a reason to come for me, dearest, but thank you nonetheless."

They stood there, relishing each other. Soon there would be a fight, but for now it was only the two of them.

* * *

"...I understand."

"What was that all about?" Piers asked the masked man clipping the unobtrusive com to his belt, "What happened?"

"We need to leave now."

"But we aren't anywhere near ready!" Piers protested, leaping out of his chair, "The whole assembly needs to be uploaded onto Judgement."

"Then we leave it behind."

Piers looked at his companion in shock, "Did you just say what I thought you said? If we leave that behind, _she could die_."

The _Garusia _shook his head, "She _will _die if we leave her here."

"They won't kill her," Piers replied, "She is too important."

"They may not kill her, but what she will do in their possession will."

The Lemurian seemed contrite, "Nevertheless, no one has been in suspended animation as long as she has. Her body may not function by itself anymore. It may kill her to take her off."

"I thought the Lemurian technology was foolproof." The _Garusia _said angrily.

"It is under normal, short term conditions!" Piers said heatedly, "But she's been hooked up to that thing for 564 years! I have no idea if she can safely be removed."

Clenching his fists, the only sign of outward anger, his voice tight, "It doesn't matter. We have to remove her or the Traitor will get her. Events are moving too quickly for us to stop."

Piers sighed, running a hand through his long blue hair, "But-"

"- _It is alright_."

"Are you sure?" Piers asked, "Once I start the process I cannot stop it."

"_I understand the risks, but it is something that needs to be done_."

The Lemurian looked to the _Garusia _worriedly, he was merely standing there - ram rod straight and not saying anything, "I don't think I am the only one who needs reassuring."

He felt the smile, rather than saw it before her presence left his mind. There was silence in the underground chamber for a few minutes while the masked man and the child of the winds conversed mind to mind.

Piers smiled himself, wondering what she was telling the _Garusia. _It was a sweet moment, devoid of any previous tension or anger. But still, a moment is a moment and it ended too soon.

The _Garusia _turned to him, "We will move her quickly and safely." he stated.

Sighing, Piers agreed, "Alright, but I'll need help. So you must do exactly as I tell you."

* * *

The noon sky arched overhead, the blaring sun scorching the land of Weyard underneath its yellow rays. Wilted and brown weeds clung to rocky crevices, bent and broken to the will of the wind as it raced across the wasteland.

There was silence, suddenly broken by the roar of psynergy as two mechs passed by.

Isaac frowned as he traveled, the terrible waste beneath seemingly never ending. There was no green, no slight signs of life among the rocks, just barren plains.

But there was nothing he could do to rectify that right now. He had orders to follow that could not be ignored.

"We are almost there," his companion said, contempt dripping from his voice, "Please try and focus, I know it's hard for you."

"You have nothing to fear from me," Isaac gritted out, "I will uphold my end, Alex."

* * *

"What is the situation, Kaja?" Jenna asked breathlessly and clutching her side from running to the bridge.

Garet and Ivan were catching their breath too, "And where is Isaac?" Garet asked, sitting in an unoccupied tech station.

The temporary commander quickly spun around, "'Where's Isaac?' Isn't he with you?"

"No," Jenna stepped back, not liking the look on the huge man's face, "We were hoping you could track him."

"Feihzi! Get on it!" Kaja bellowed.

The purple haired girl jumped in her seat, "Yes, sir!"

"Hsu! Use the tracking info and get our asses in gear!"

"Y-Yes, sir!" the navigational officer answered, the virtual display surrounding him while the distant hum of the engines fired in the background.

Kaja unclipped his comm, "Briggs! Get the remaining D.E. suited up, I want them ready to deploy in 10 minutes."

"Sir!" Feihzi shouted, the implants under her skin blinking rapidly, "I've locked on to Charon's psynergy signature."

"On screen."

The large bridge display came up, the mech Charon showing up as a green labeled dot. Another dot was next to him, "Who the hell is that?" Garet asked, pointing unnecessarily.

The view zoomed in, statistical readings for another energy signature scrolling across the display, "It's another mech..." Ivan said quietly, confusion written on his features.

He was right, Jenna realized, but that could only mean-

"-Damn it! It's Boreas!" Garet shouted, "It has to be!"

"Feihzi?"

"He...he's right, sir," she answered, shaking her head, "But that's not all. Zoom out 20x."

The display zoomed out, the two dots of Charon and Boreas becoming smaller and smaller. But another dot showed up, in the far corner. Simply waiting, while Charon and Boreas sped towards it.

"Now who the fuck is that?" Garet waved his arms impatiently and wildy gestured at the display, "What the hell?"

"It's another mech," Jenna replied, "Could it be Judgment?"

The rapid tapping of a keyboard, "Unsure," Feihzi answered, "We don't have a definitive signature for the enemy mech, Judgment."

"It doesn't matter," Kaja said, "Feihzi, I want a channel opened to Charon, let's see if we can get some answers."

"Yes, sir." the communications officer saluted, "There we go."

The previous display split in two, with the new half showing Isaac seated in his mech.

"Sir?"

Kaja seemed taken aback for a moment before shouting, "What the hell are ya doin' out there, boy! You don't have authorization and are in the presence of the enemy!"

"I have orders, sir." Isaac said quietly, glancing away from the cockpit camera.

"Orders from who?" Kaja asked incredulously.

"The Emperor."

The people on the bridge paused in shock. _When did we receive orders from the Citadel? _Jenna thought, _why weren't the rest of us notified?_

"Bullshit," Kaja replied, fists clenched in anger, "You're out there without orders, and with that bastard Alex."

Isaac's face flickered surprise for a brief moment before returning normal, "You don't know anything." he said slowly as the screen went black.

"What happened?" Kaja demanded.

"He cut the connection, sir." Feihzi replied.

The burly man shook his fist, "That's not possible, a direct line was implanted into Charon."

Feihzi helplessly shrugged her petit shoulders, "He must have modified the communications equipment."

"Damn it," Kaja ruthlessly barked out, "I want all available satellite imagery and ground observatories pointed at those two. Any information is to be relayed to the main display."

A chorus of, "Sir!"

* * *

The gentle thrum of psynergy vibrated throughout the mech, just enough to keep him suspended without waste. The bright sunlight filtered through his visor, the autocorrection tinting the land of Weyard into misleading blues and greens when only rock remained.

It had been awhile since he had ventured outside of the base, unable to escape the eyes of his worried lover, and what a disappointment this world was.

_Why did the Traitor do this?_ Saturos thought, his red gaze serious and not blinking, _Creating this desolate place-_

A sudden reading on his visor jerked him out of his musings, "Well, well. It's time."

* * *

Various sensors from the vicinity of the three mechs were networked and collaborated into the main display of Western H.Q. in no time at all. And all activity on the bridge stopped as the view screen showed the three mechs approach each other...

_Charon, the earth mech of the Emperor's favored adept, Isaac. Boreas, the ice mech of the bastard, Alex. And finally_, Jenna paused, surprise creeping into her as she realized that she had seen this new mech before... along time ago... when her world raged red...

All three paused, suspended in midair, and faced off. The atmosphere was tense, and the psynergy nearly tangible- spitting and hissing like some beast...

It was him, he was here. The Proxian from all those years ago was right in front of her, the Proxian that destroyed her city, killed her parents, and took her brother away from her. There he was, like nothing ever happened, like a specter to haunt her memories...

A moment, and then two, and the battle began.

* * *

Dramatis Personae

Jenna: Megaera, Fire Adept

Isaac: Charon, Earth Adept

Felix: Deceased

Garet: Kirin, Fire Adept

Ivan: Eclipse, Wind Adept

Mia: Healer, Water Adept

Alex: Boreas, Water Adept

Saturos: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Menardi: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Agatio: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Karst: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Susa: Haures, Earth Adept, deceased

Hama: Commander of Western HQ, Wind Adept

Uzume: Command Liaison, Earth Adept

Kaja: Second in Command- Western HQ

Fiehzi: Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Hsu: Navigational Officer- Western HQ

Kay: Kraden's assistant, deceased

Obaba: Council Chair

Babi: Council member

Faran: Council member

Akafubu: Council member

Donpa: Council member

Dodonpa: Council member

Lunpa: Council member

Moapa: Council member

Hydros: Council member, deceased

Iodem: Babi's aide

Kraden: Scholar, deceased

Kushinada: Susa's wife, Earth Adept

Takeru: Susa and Kushinada's son

Briggs: Mech Communications Officer-Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Chaucha: Mech Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Defense Elite: Mech Warriors

Ouranos: DE captain

Sean: DE sergeant

Drones: Plant-like servants of the Prox.

_Garusia_: Masked Man

Child of the Winds: Female, Wind Adept

Piers: Lemurian

Traitor?

Judgement?

Anemos: People who lived in the sky.

Lemuria: People who lived in the ocean.

Emperor?

* * *

Disclaimer: Not mine.

It's short, but I wanted to put it up before vacation. Thanks to everyone who stayed with me!


	15. Day of Doom

Water and Earth raged war on Fire.

It was beautiful and horrible at once. The adepts showed great skill and artistry over their respective elements, but those elements were weapons and no amount grace could disguise that simple fact.

Jenna watched, unable to contemplate the Proxian's control over fire, when she herself could do little but let the fire rush from her in anger. Fascination and jealously flared in her, burning her insides to bitter ash.

Garet watched too, but she could not tell what went on in his mind. His face was lax, eyes never leaving the display save to blink. His hand betrayed him though, clenching tightly for reasons known perhaps only to himself.

Ivan on the other hand, was pale and silent and not looking at the display at all. His eyebrows held a deep furrow in his young face, making him seem years older than he really was.

But the two adepts at her side held her attention for only the shortest amount of time, as her mind kept going back to-what she believed-were long forgotten memories.

* * *

_It was some gleaming giant. _

_Kneeling, it rose gracefully, towering over her. Huge and intimidating armor made it look like some titan from ancient myths, ready to hold the vault of the sky by it's sheer strength alone. _

_It turned to her.

* * *

_

Catastrophe turned towards him, it's presence dominating his view. Isaac breathed deeply, focusing his psynergy into the earth while Alex distracted the Proxian with a cascade of ice shards.

The earth swelled. The scent of soil filled his nostrils for the briefest instant before the ground half-buried his enemy. Isaac tried to cover him completely, but the ground here was dry and crumbled apart as Catastrophe blasted his way out of an early grave.

Isaac cursed, dodged a well aimed spear of fire, and felt for the musky earth again.

* * *

Alex hit the ground hard thanks to a blow from Saturos, but used his position to take Catastrophe's feet out from under the giant mech. He smiled, righted himself, and raised his arms as well as a dozen ice blades from under the infuriating Proxian.

In his mind's eye, Alex could see Saturos grimacing in pain and this caused him to smile even wider- almost ferally with all his teeth showing like an enraptured beast ready for the kill.

* * *

He laughed again, deep and throaty, and sending chills down her spine. She remained perfectly still, a statue carved out of marble, kneeling demurely while she wished for nothing more than to be away from that horrible sound.

"Do you not enjoy the show, Madame?"

He referred to the display showing the battle between three mechs, but something else was hidden in his voice that she did not wish to know, "The battle is captivating, my Lord," Uzume replied.

"Yes, nothing enthralls the heart quite like it," he said, almost wistfully, "We have waited for this day for some time now, and nothing must disrupt Our pleasure."

Uzume nodded, her silence speaking her acquiescence.

* * *

The silence enfolded her in waves of white and blue, cold and stinging as the drifts of snow of her late home.

The quiet wasn't reassuring or calming any more, but merely an emptiness that ate at her. Forcing her to remember her treachery of her friends, her oaths, and even her own heart.

Mia sat in the brig, shed of her tears, unable to do more than sporadically convulse in dry sobs that left her feeling even more pitiful. She couldn't have won either way, she realized, her past and her present conflicting in a battle _she _couldn't win.

_It was the sad truth_, she thought as she refused to imagine the bleak future ahead of her.

* * *

The result of the battle was unclear, as both sides gave and received blows, but Garet knew that the odds were in favor of Isaac and that bastard Boreas.

Even though Isaac fought, he wasn't sure who he wanted to win, and this disturbed him. His life had been a very straightforward path, a clear right or wrong, and for the first time he didn't know where to put his next footstep.

He was torn, one side trusting Isaac- thinking there was something everyone had missed and that would explain his present connection to Boreas- and one side wanting to rip his head off of his scrawny neck for the mere thought of killing his sister or for helping Boreas.

His indecision confused him and his confusion frustrated him and his frustration angered him and _goddamn it! _

Garet had no release for his feelings, he looked to Jenna, hoping to find answers for his own thoughts, but she seemed far away. Her eyes gazing unfocused ahead of her.

* * *

_She was frozen in place by those unnatural coal red eyes smoldering within the deepset face. It seemed to look right through her, it's gaze petrifying her into some stone statue. But it was magnificent!_

_Her child mind was entranced, while that tiny voice of reason told her to be frightened and disgusted. She couldn't though... having never seen with her own eyes the utter brilliance and blatant audacity of the Prox, _Those who Destroy

* * *

He would destroy them, those meddling fools! Saturos ground his sharp teeth together, summoning his psynergy and letting it flow unchecked towards his enemies. Charon and Alex dodged, putting them out of range of his spirals of fire.

He paused, for a moment, catching his breath, then mounting the offensive again. Alex parried and Charon blind sided him with a slab of earth hard enough to blacken his vision. However, he was back up before his addled brain even knew and counterattacking, his arms starting to tremble beneath the psynergy links.

He would do his duty, his responsibility to his people and his people's responsibility to this forsaken land. Forcing his arms still he blasted outwards, he would not lose.

* * *

_He is losing_, Menardi realized with a panic, her breath hitching and her heart pounding in her chest.

She cringed when her lover took a blow that sent him to his knees, her own anger swelling in response to her most hated enemies. The treacherous bastard Alex leveled an ice spear at Saturos, nearly slicing him but for Catastrophe's quick dodge.

He was outnumbered, for she would never admit outclassed, by the two humans. He should never had taken on this fight himself. He should have never trusted Alex. He should have never...

"No..." her sister Karst said under her breath, unable to believe the display. Agatio stood behind her, his face impassive as always.

Menardi clenched her fist so hard her nails drew blood, she savored the pain hoping to inflict a thousand times that to those humans. They would witness a woman's fury.

"I am going," she announced in a voice that booked no opposition, her hair whipping behind her as she turned around, her steps determined.

* * *

"You can't go," Karst stepped in front of her sister, the smaller woman bodily blocking her way, "Saturos is doing his duty, making sure she has time to escape. You risk her capture!"

Menardi glared, her sharp features unrelenting, "I will not risk Saturos' life! He needs me, and I need to be there with him."

Agatio felt a pang of melancholy at her words, and perhaps even jealously for her devotion to his friend. She was willing to forgo their duty to be with her lover, casting aside her own welfare to see him safe.

"You are needed here!" Karst replied, "He would not wish you to endanger yourself so. Besides," she continued in a softer tone, "Saturos can handle them."

Menardi shook her head, "You don't understand, Karst. You can't understand."

He had to agree with her, Karst knew nothing of the depth of their feeling. Even he couldn't understand fully what he had never had returned.

It saddened him to think such thoughts, but there was no denying it either. His affections were perhaps always to be unrequited, to be bestowed on someone who had no lover but also did not love him.

"Don't take that tone with me, Menardi!" Karst ground out, "I am still your sister, doesn't that mean anything?"

"Of course," she replied quickly before suddenly capturing Karst in an embrace, "I am sorry, but this is something I must do. Can you forgive me this once?"

He was startled, never seeing Menardi this soft before, realizing that she spoke the truth and that he did not want her to betray her own heart.

Karst couldn't say anything as her sister finally left.

* * *

Her mouth made movements, but no sound as she was left standing dumbfounded while her sister walked off to her mech.

_What was she thinking_, Karst wondered, her sharp mind unable to wrap itself around her sister's actions. _She can't possibly be serious._

She started forward, her feet taking steps that her mind couldn't. A large hand on her shoulder stopped her though, gripping her tightly. "I must stop her, Agatio," she shook his hand away, "She is being a fool."

"No," the large man shook his head, "She does what she needs to do. You should let her go."

Karst stepped away from him, "What are you saying? Do you actually agree with her just leaving? Abandoning her duty?"

He sighed, "No, but the only responsibility Menardi feels is to Saturos," he said quietly, not looking at her.

Anger flaring, Karst yelled at him, "That doesn't give her free reign to do whatever she pleases!" She turned to walk away.

Agatio physically barred her way, "It gives her the right to go to him when he needs help, Karst," he answered her stolidly, "Respect her decision."

She stared at him, hardly able to believe what she just heard. Reasonable Agatio agreeing to Menardi's reckless actions? The same Agatio she had never known to do anything out of line? "Why?" she asked quietly, looking him hard in the eye.

He didn't reply right away, and just when the silence seemed too long he said, "Because I can see _why _she must do this."

* * *

_Why am I doing this_? he asked himself for the thousandth time, his arms trembling violently and his weak heart beating a staccato in his chest.

Piers had trouble breathing in his tight restraints on Judgement, the mech being jury-rigged to hold two additional passengers and equipment. There was hardly room to move, and his anxiety grew exponentially as each minute passed.

A cold chill ran down his spine, he shouldn't be under this stress and could already make out a faint echo following his heartbeat. He rubbed his fingers over the straps on his chest, nervously trying to relieve some of the overwhelming pressure he felt there. But it was of no use.

He tried thinking back into his memories, to his homeland of Lemuria, but the images he had once remembered so clearly and vividly were now murky and distorted- like looking through deep water. Piers closed his golden eyes, trying to remain strong and steadfast in his commitment, trying to push away the faintly lingering pain of his banishment. But old feelings are hard to be rid of, and while familiar, they were harsh and unrelenting.

A jolt shook through Judgement, snapping his attention back to the present, "What's going on?" he shouted.

The answer, somewhat muffled but clearly irritated, "Nothing for you to worry about. Just sit back and enjoy the ride."

_Arrogant jackass_, Piers thought, but would never say aloud, as he tried to remain still.

* * *

_She was frozen, immobile, incapable of thought or action. Only feeling remained, only mesmerization. There was nothing else._

_The giant moved, raising its fist-one that glowed with the tell-tale red and orange of fire._

"_JENNA!"_

_The fire came towards her, then came _from_ her, yellow and orange and red-always red. The flames sprang forth, close then rushing outwards, her vision filled with fire._

_It was right there, close enough to feel the burning heat on her tear filled face. Close enough to feel the raging flame in her chest exploding outwards. _So close!

* * *

_He was so close_! Isaac raged, spinning around to try and catch Catastrophe on the backswing of his mech's arm.

He succeeded, sending the Proxian to his knees. Isaac reached towards the ground, the familiar intimate threads connecting him to the earth laced through his awareness and responded to his summoning.

The ground collapsed in a shower of dirt and rock.

And took Catastrophe with.

* * *

Excitement and fear radiated from the bridge, the intensity of what she felt taking Hama along to find the source of such an unrestrained sending.

She followed the lines of emotion in her mind's eye as best she could, but she was still weak and her legs betrayed her- dropping her to her knees and refusing to support her along the deserted corridors. She grit her teeth and struggled upward, not about to let her weakness stop her.

* * *

_The Proxian is weak_, Alex gloated, sending another shower of ice into the crater Isaac created.

Finally he would realize his true potential, something Saturos was never able to appreciate, and even the old bastard sitting on the throne of Weyard would have to see him for his true self.

Alex could hardly contain himself for joy.

* * *

_The pure ecstasy of it, so foreign to her innocence, washed through her. Enveloped her, folded her up in its warmth. She couldn't stop as the awakened fire flowed through her, finally freeing itself from its long dormancy, becoming something of itself, something alive.

* * *

_

The pain was so much that Saturos could hardly believe he was alive.

Each wave of psynergy ripped through him, his link to his mech amplifying the feeling. Charon and Alex showed no mercy, and he suspected in Alex's case there was a great deal of satisfaction tinting the power he felt from him.

He tried in vain to move away or strike back, but was trapped, perhaps even by his own arrogance in insisting that he would defeat both of them at once. But it was too late for regrets now.

Saturos waited for the end of his long life, knowing that soon they would crack the thick armor of Catastrophe. It was perhaps a peaceful feeling, an end to the turmoil he had lived through, although saddened by a sense of loss. Loss of his friends, his responsibility, and even more important- loss of his lover.

He could see her now, shining in rage and beauty, strong in power and conviction, soft in her own way.

Smiling ever so slightly, he waited for the final blow with this last thought on his mind.

* * *

Isaac prepared another blow to the crippled Catastrophe, reigning in power to finally end this fight. The earth answered his call, obeying his commands to shatter and smother, a landslide that was released but never hit its intended target.

He was pushed back, tumbling out of control through the air before righting himself and landing. His innocent looking eyes narrowed, when a graceful mech floated before him. Her sumptuous lines a stark contrast to Catastrophe's bulky armor.

Fire surrounded her hands, blazing in the afternoon sun, two gauntlets of psynergy. He moved away but not quickly enough, her fists found his weak spots under the joints connecting the arms. Isaac fell hard, his own arms limp from tingling feedback.

She blasted away, and summarily dealt with Boreas. Sending the haughty ice adept to a crouch with a few swift blows to incapacitate him. Isaac looked on in shock, processing this new enemy in his mind, taking note of her stance and use of psynergy.

She was walking over to Catastrophe now, her back to him. Silently he positioned himself in her blindspot, ruthlessly counting off the seconds until his arm was of use again.

* * *

She knew she didn't have much time before Charon and Alex could retaliate and concentrated on the prone Saturos.

Menardi stepped over him, finally seeing the extent of damage Catastrophe had taken. She paused in fear and anger, one half of her wanting to help Saturos, and the other wanting to rip the arms and legs from those two bastards that did this.

"Saturos?" she called out on their private line, "Saturos, can you hear me?"

She waited for a few breathless moments, an agonizing eternity for her, before his voice came- soft and full of pain and disbelief, "Men...ar...di? A...are you... are you there?"

"Yes, love," she nearly cried, "I am here."

"W-why?" he choked out.

Menardi could have slapped him, "What do you mean, 'why?' I've come to make sure you don't do something stupid and get yourself killed."

He laughed, but it was soon interrupted by coughs. She frowned, linking her mech's hands in his, the transformation program already starting.

Saturos tried to pull away when he realized her plan, but was too weak, "Menardi...you can't..."

"Don't you dare tell me I can't!" she shouted, her breathing coming in quick gasps, "I won't leave you here to die."

"Thank you," he whispered after a long pause.

Saturos and Menardi. Catastrophe and Iris. Their arms melted together, then their shoulders and torso, and finally their legs into a single mass of metal and psynergy.

A new form emerged, one that was neither the bulky giant nor the supple fighter, and yet was both. Pieces of each other come together as one.

* * *

They merged together, two mechs forming what looked like a dragon from one of his sister's stories.

Ivan couldn't tear his gaze away from the display any longer, for something like this would never happen again, he was sure. No other mechs had ever joined together like that, for the sheer amount of resonance between two pilots would kill those not intimately tuned to another.

Whoever piloted those mechs couldn't get any closer than they were now. They would have one mind, one heart, one soul, never to be separated.

* * *

She was Menardi, and yet she was Saturos, and yet they were one.

He was Saturos, and yet he was Menardi, and yet they were one.

* * *

Saturos and Menardi joined together, the fools.

Alex couldn't care less, except perhaps he now had one nice convenient target instead of two and that he would be able to finish them both off at once. _Really, they were so thoughtful_, he snickered while bombarding the new dragon form with hail.

It cried out like a real beast, tossing its head in pain before charging him. Alex teleported a short distance away, the psynergy drain still great from the damages his mech had taken earlier.

A wall of earth stopped the dragon mech, sending it sprawling on its back and leaving it open for a few well aimed bolts of ice he was happy to provide. The attack cut through the underbelly of the beast, a definite strategic hit.

It was almost too easy and he followed up with a strike to the beast's neck.

* * *

They felt the blow to their neck like a whip snapping across their own skin.

The dragon cried out its pain and struggled up to its feet. The long tail surged out, but hit only air as Charon and Boreas danced out of its path easily.

Perhaps it was Catastrophe's own irreparable state that resulted in the dragon's weak form, or maybe the earth and water adept were just too much for the Proxians. Whatever it was, the dragon fell hard, unable to recover.

They lay there in the still moments before oblivion, trying in vain to say everything at once, knowing that the other already knew everything, but still not feeling there was enough time.

They were one as a final 'goodbye' was given.

* * *

End Part One

* * *

Dramatis Personae

Jenna: Megaera, Fire Adept

Isaac: Charon, Earth Adept

Felix: Deceased

Garet: Kirin, Fire Adept

Ivan: Eclipse, Wind Adept

Mia: Healer, Water Adept

Alex: Boreas, Water Adept

Saturos: Proxian Commander, Catastrophe, Fire Adept, deceased

Menardi: Proxian Commander, Iris, Fire Adept, deceased

Agatio: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Karst: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Susa: Haures, Earth Adept, deceased

Hama: Commander of Western HQ, Wind Adept

Uzume: Command Liaison, Earth Adept

Kaja: Second in Command- Western HQ

Fiehzi: Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Hsu: Navigational Officer- Western HQ

Kay: Kraden's assistant, deceased

Obaba: Council Chair

Babi: Council member

Faran: Council member

Akafubu: Council member

Donpa: Council member

Dodonpa: Council member

Lunpa: Council member

Moapa: Council member

Hydros: Council member, deceased

Iodem: Babi's aide

Kraden: Scholar, deceased

Kushinada: Susa's wife, Earth Adept

Takeru: Susa and Kushinada's son

Briggs: Mech Communications Officer-Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Chaucha: Mech Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Defense Elite: Mech Warriors

Ouranos: DE captain

Sean: DE sergeant

Drones: Plant-like servants of the Prox.

_Garusia_: Masked Man, Judgement

Child of the Winds: Female, Wind Adept

Piers: Lemurian

Traitor?

Anemos: People who lived in the sky.

Lemuria: People who lived in the ocean.

Emperor?

* * *

Disclaimer: I mean really...

Well, that is part one. Don't worry, part two should be much shorter and should answer any remaining questions. I have quite a bit of free time now, summer break! So things should go quicker, relatively speaking( quicker for me at least).


	16. Past and Present

He couldn't remember anything before the darkness.

It was as if he started then, in a vast space of nothing in his head, in a quiet blank from which he merely opened his mind's eye and existed. Only feelings remained with him, flashes that would not disappear and shadows that littered the vague fragments of memories in his mind, creeping and taunting him in nightmares, neither sleeping nor truly awake.

He would see things, horrible things. Things that tried to take his very soul away from his silently screaming body.

In the dead space he could feel his body faraway like a phantom limb that was removed. It burned, a rictus of pain and agony and despair that gripped him and held him in it's gnarled clutches. He felt his heart stop, those glorious timeless eternities where he thought it would all end.

But the foul muscle resumed its monotonous task, and he lived another day-moment-eternity. Each second a macabre theater of wraiths haunting the forgotten labyrinth of his subconscious.

Sometimes he heard a voice, sweet and tender and smiling just for him. No words issued forth that he could comprehend, but he felt their meaning. He could feel the soul behind the words, and for a little while, his demons were chased away.

He existed for that voice, lived for the precious few moments he would hear it, feel it, bask in its humanness. The rest was damnation, an utter hell he never wanted to return to but was forced to live through.

The voice became his light, a blazing star that scorched him- burning away the shadows in his mind and body.

He strained to hear it, to understand its hidden words, or even to thank it. But he found no way to answer except to slowly heal- his mind and body and soul silently replying to the voice. It was hard, far harder than giving up, and he nearly failed- could feel death closing in countless times- the cold finality that hovered over him, waiting for the opportune moment.

And then the voice formed words, ".._.you did well_..."

If life could be sustained on utter joy alone, he would be completely healed, "..._I...can hear you_." he thought, his mind filled with wonder and relief.

A smile felt rather than seen, "_It took you long enough_."

* * *

Saturos and Menardi were dead- he would mourn them later- and the great Prox have been reduced in half while leaving him entirely open for attack by those who would help the Traitor.

The _Garusia _clenched his fist, feeling the familiar thrum of psynergy flowing through him. He stood no chance if Boreas and Charon came after him, he would be hopelessly outnumbered, and his death would mean the victory of the Traitor.

Weyard passed by underneath as he thought, the salty ocean and sandy beaches bordering the brown lifeless barren soil. The sky had darkened to vibrant turquoise and magenta, Sol only an orange disc on the far horizon.

He still had far to go.

* * *

"_Who are you_?" he finally managed to ask her, the voice. After so long it seemed a rather silly thing to ask.

"_I am who I am_," she replied cheekily, "_Nothing more, nothing less_."

"_I meant- what is your name_?" he refrained from sighing in exasperation.

He could imagine her smiling and nodding, "_That's a much better question. My name is Sheba_."

* * *

There was nothing to do but keep going with the plan. If luck was with them, then Boreas and Charon would not know their whereabouts and would instead waste time foolishly attacking the Proxian base.

_If luck was with us_, he thought bitterly, fingering the mask over his face.

Judgement flew quietly and left no psynergy trail behind it- speed had been sacrificed for stealth. For if Boreas and Charon found them it would do no good, even if they reached their destination before their pursuers.

Silence stretched out, either his passengers were unable to chatter or did not feel the need to. Whichever it was- was fine by him. Inane conversation never suited him anyway.

The miles passed by, the scenery only slightly changing as the night sky came in, a dark shroud that blacked out the stars and stifled those underneath its reach. The barren earth wasn't visible, no landmarks to see, even if only to suppress the monotony.

Only the lights in Judgement's cockpit remained, bright greens and blues and reds that burned his retinas in the night. But he couldn't look away from them, those tiny flickering guides that were his only map, his only warning, and even- if he were a poet- his only companions during the journey.

However, he was no admirer of language and he needed to stay on task before his mind wandered farther. The _Garusia _shifted his body, his legs becoming stiff from remaining in the same position for so long and slightly adjusted their course, the mech and occupants dropping in altitude as they made their descent.

Their destination was on the horizon, not visible except for on his sensors, a giant ancient relic that lay in a crumbled heap of weathered stone and withered vine. Long ago it had served as a beacon, a guiding light to those weary or lost. But time had been cruel, and it existed only now as a monument to days long past.

And perhaps as a place to hide from the reaches of the Traitor.

It would have to do, as most other places that still bore the signs of Lemurian technology and Anemoese psynergy were either in rubble or under the control of the humans. This place would have to suit their purpose until that time which they may reunite with Karst and Agatio. He didn't like it- a long shot at best, a ready made grave at worst.

"_We are almost there_..._I can feel it _pulling _me_."

"Finally," Piers replied out loud, "I don't know how much longer I can stand being confined here- it's like a prison."

He could hardly resist rolling his eyes.

A giggle, "_Stop it Piers, you're upsetting him with your gloomy talk_," she teased.

"Huh, Mr. Sunshine himself?" the Lemurian played along, "Never!"

What he wouldn't give for a gag.

There was a strange echo of laughter from inside his mind and then from a physical source. He decided not to allow them the privilege of a comment and remained silent.

* * *

There was a long time were he wasn't able to move, his limbs felt as heavy as lead from atrophied muscles and his skin was tight from severe burns he didn't remember attaining. He remained bedridden for months, drifting in and out of consciousness, between a rather damp and dark room and the darkness of his mind.

She was there of course, Sheba, the voice that constituted his first proper memories. And there was another, not in his mind but in the physical world, the one that kept feeding him pills and changing the suffocating bandages around his body, a man named Piers.

He was strange looking, long blue hair and old gold eyes in a face that was far too young. He called himself a Lemurian, a name that only resulted in vague images of half-fish people that swam the oceans. He tried laughing, but it turned into a dry wracking cough and he had to be sedated again.

When he woke again, the Piers man was there along with another- a man who was blue. He blinked trying to reconcile his sight with the alien features presented before him, but the man stayed as he was.

"Do you know who I am?" the alien man asked in a very formal tone, like he never heard a word of slang before.

He tried to answer, but his body was still not cooperating. Sheba saved him the trouble, "_He doesn't even remember who _he _is, I very much doubt he knows who you are, Saturos_."

The man, Saturos, scowled, "Watch your tongue girl."

"He has suffered severe injuries," Piers interjected, "And was in shock when you brought him here. Partial or even total memory loss is unusual, but can happen in those circumstances."

"Well, then what can you tell me about his condition?"

Piers disappeared out of his vision, perhaps sitting down, "He's about twelve years old, average height and weight for a human, blood type-"

"-Maybe I should have made the question clearer, Lemurian."Saturos said snidely, "Is there any proof of talent?"

"Oh, yes, as you suspected only an Adept could have survived that... accident," Piers paused, clearing his throat, "It would seem he has an affinity for earth."

_An Adept_?

"This is proving most interesting," Saturos said, "You will update me on his progress."

And with that, the alien man left.

* * *

Judgement cut through the piles of fallen masonry that blocked the entrance to a large dusty antechamber. The mech walked in heavily, the hydraulics shooting out steam as the giant slowly powered down and strapped its psynergy energized sword to its back.

Several recently added outer lights came on, casting stark shadows onto the colorful murals covering the walls although accumulated grime obscured any details. Dust floated in the air in the shafts of light, slowly settling onto the ground.

The mech's armored chest opened by sliding up and out, and a man in a flightsuit came out, impatiently ripping off gold connectors as he made his way down to the ground. The modified compartment right underneath the first then opened and a stressed looking Piers came out, breathing slightly deeper than usual and rubbing his left arm absently.

"This is a far cry from the last time I was here," the Lemurian said taking in the state of the vaulted room, "I hardly recognize it."

The _Garusia _didn't reply and instead started working a long series of locks that bolted what looked like a bulbous metal spider from the back of Judgement. Using his thumb, he pressed the miniature scanners on each lock, and was rewarded with a small internal click and the disengagement of his cargo.

Meanwhile, Piers had reached into his tunic and pulled out a rectangular box topped with a black orb. Passing his hand over the orb, the remote came to life and the spider stretched out its legs and stood.

"You'd better back away," Piers warned, "I'm a bit rusty."

The other man nodded and stepped back just as Piers moved his hand over the orb and the spider gave a corresponding lurch away from Judgement. Another hand movement and another step- right into the wall.

"Sorry," Piers muttered at the murderous glance he knew was behind that mask. He shifted the spider more slowly after that, deeper into the bowels of the ancient tower.

* * *

He could walk now, a slow painful limp that left him breathless after only a few steps. But he struggled onwards anyway, not wanting to look like a weakling in front of the others.

His skin had healed, as much as it could, in pink scars from his thighs to his face. The first time he saw himself in a mirror was a shock, but he thought it made him look tough- like a superhero or something and his twelve year old mind was impressed with the idea.

"Don't tire yourself out too much," Piers said from his desk, going over some readouts, "Saturos is coming down later to see your mobility."

"_Lucky you_," Sheba commented in a thought he knew was private between the two of them.

He smiled and sat down in a nearby chair, his legs slightly shaking as he took his weight off of them. The Proxian, Saturos' race, came often now to check up on him- if 'check up' was the proper term for Saturos walking into the small rooms and prompty leaving after making him feel like he was on display.

But this time was different, "It seems you may not have been a complete waste after all," Saturos commented after seeing him, his red eyes were thoughtful if hard.

He looked quickly at Piers for some clarification, however the Lemurian frowned and rubbed his chest nervously, "He's barely started to recover. Too much physical exertion could cause a relapse."

"That is not my concern."

"_Saturos_-"

"Saturos-"

"That's enough," the alien said, "I brought him here for a reason _as you both know_," Piers and Sheba remained silent. Saturos turned to him, "Come with me."

* * *

Even so far underground, the base shook with each blast. Dust lodged for centuries between masonry sifted down, tiny cracks forged by ice grew exponentially and let the flowing subterranean water rush into the corridors.

The emergency sirens wailed, bathing the base in red light. Drones quickly performed their duties, showing a capability that was previously overlooked and would be soon forgotten.

However, amidst the chaos one figure remained still, her mind numb in shock and fear.

She didn't hear the sirens or the rushing water or even the low pitiful mewling of Drones as they lay crushed under stone. Not even the pleadings of Agatio passed into her mind. She was unable to act. The defiant and assertive Karst had been reduced to a comatose shell.

Her sister, her bright and scathing sister, was now buried in a wreck of metal and betrayal. So far away and unreachable. Forever lost and never found.

She didn't tell Menardi how she hated her own blue robes.

"Karst!"

It was Agatio, kneeling in front of her- shouting and shaking her shoulders. She knew that, but didn't react. She couldn't find it in herself to speak back, to acknowledge him in any way. How could she when Menardi was out of reach? How Agatio and not her own sister?

She wasn't thinking clearly, she knew it and it didn't matter in the slightest.

"Karst, look at me!" he shouted, grabbing her chin to force her gaze at him. Her red eyes continued to stare unfocused. She couldn't be bothered by abrasive Agatio.

A piece of the ceiling of the war room collapsed, destroying the main display and nearly crushing her had Agatio not pulled her out of the way. He coughed as the dust cleared and brought her to her feet, she swayed in her upright position, "What are you doing!" he bellowed, "We must leave."

_Leave? Where was there to go?_ _Perhaps the Traitor had already won._

Karst merely stood in place as the Proxian base fell apart around her. _Leave... and go where? Go to where her sister was? Go...leave..._

..."I want you to leave."

Karst turned around and stared at her sister for a moment before replying snidely, "Well, I will keep that in mind."

Menardi rolled her eyes in exasperation, "I am serious, sister. You must listen to me."

"I don't understand," Karst replied.

"You must remember, for I will only tell you once and Saturos cannot know I spoke to you about this."

"What is it?" she asked, curious now.

Flipping her long blonde hair over her shoulder, Menardi whispered, "This will not mean anything to you now. But the time may come..." she paused, then continued in a rush, "The lighthouse."

Karst frowned in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"I told you I cannot tell you again," Menardi appeared agitated and nervous- two emotions that Karst was certainly not used to seeing displayed by her cool and confident sister.

"But, sister-"

"I have already said too much, Karst," Menardi pleaded, holding her sister's shoulders and looking her right in the eye, "I only need you to remember this."...

"The lighthouse," Karst said with startling clarity before standing and piercing Agatio with her sharp gaze, "She said, 'The lighthouse'. Does that mean anything to you?"

The burly Proxian seemed rather confused by the sudden turn of events, but answered nonetheless, "There is an ancient ruin that Saturos dubbed 'the lighthouse' many years ago," he was obviously straining his own memory, "But what has that to do with...?" he trailed off.

"Do you know where it is, Agatio?"

"The coordinates are in my mech's data files somewhere," he replied, shaking his head ever so slightly before responding more sharply, "That is not important right now, we must leave."

She nodded, "I agree." _My sister will be revenged soon_, she promised herself, converting her lingering sorrow to a more useful form- purpose. Purpose would have to drive her for the time being, the alternative was too painful and consuming at this crucial point.

Karst strode from the collapsing war room, every inch her usual dominating self on the outside, but still shaken and unsure inside. Agatio followed willingly.

* * *

There were four aliens.

_Four aliens_, he tried to wrap his mind around the idea but still somehow came up short. He figured that he should have already known this, that maybe it was something he had forgotten from before. Whether he knew it or not, the fact remained and these alien beings were now his new caretakers.

He met Saturos previously, and now partially hid behind the tall man while he introduced the three others.

There was Menardi, Saturos' girlfriend by the looks of it- eww. She was tall and thin with lots of yellow hair. _She looks mean too_, he thought, like she was ready to yell at him. The other guy, Agatio, looked alright- if huge. He wasn't someone to mess around with.

Then there was Karst.

"_This _is what you saved, Saturos?" she sneered, "What happened to his face?"

He reached up a hand to his rippled cheek while Saturos replied, "Only a powerful Adept could have survived that blast. I believe he will prove useful."

"Don't you mean _useless_?" Karst answered, her red eyes glaring at him from down her nose- even though she was his same height, "Although, he might scare off some humans with scars like that."

"That's enough," not Saturos this time but Agatio, "We are wasting sparring time with petty insults."

Karst clenched a fist and spun around on her heel. She walked quickly to the other side of the large room and stopped, "I want to try him out."

He quickly looked up to Saturos in confirmation. The Proxian nodded his head in the most minute of movements and stepped aside- leaving him completely open.

Across the room, Karst stood still while a red pulsing glow enveloped her. It glowed faintly before coalescing around her fist. He mirrored her image, although not in concentration but fear and bewilderment.

_What is she_- His thoughts cut off as he violently threw himself to the ground to dodge a beam of fire she had blasted at him.

He lay there for several moments, catching his breath and trying to calm his racing heart, and also because he didn't want to get up and have her do _that _again. However, unknown to him, she was in no position to attack with pure psynergy from her own body another time. She was shaking visibly from the effort and sunk to her knees when they gave out under her.

"That was a stupid thing to do, Karst," Menardi sighed before helping her sister up.

"_He dodged it_," she whispered.

Agatio chuckled, "Out of shear terror only."

He felt a hand haul him up, "Come, we have much still to do," Saturos said.

"You are going to teach that quivering blob?" Karst asked, pointing an incredulous finger at him, "The coward that could do nothing but curl up in fear?"

"...But he did not use all his energy in a fruitless attack, leaving himself open and unable to even defend."

He stared up at Saturos, not wanting to tell him how he really felt- but still compelled to take to heart his words. Some of the fear died away.

* * *

She heard the wind.

Always and without fail, she could hear the wind. Before she ever even learned to hear and understand the voices of those around her, she could understand the wind. It was with her, for she was created to be with the wind. Her purpose, her life was tied to the element of Jupiter and could never be separated.

Sometimes the Wind howled and sometimes it merely drifted by, ever changing from one moment to the next. Earth simply waited, steadfast and still, only showing its true power in quick and violent bursts. Water ran from place to place, from person to person, or from ideal to ideal, it never stopped- for even as ice it flowed. Finally, Fire burned, consuming everything in its path, whether it be people or continents, to live.

Weyard consisted of all four elements, each one interacting with the others. It was the domination of a certain element that created the various landscapes of the planet, just as the domination of a certain element in a person created an Adept.

However, this skewered balance was unnatural.

Even as the wind blew through her, she knew it to be only an imitation of the true power and essence of the wind. No Adept could ever grasp the true untamed element, to do so would mean forsaking the other three elements and subsequently- death.

It was ironic that as one becomes closer to their element, they become closer to death. And save for those who came back from the brink, she was the closest. The wind singed and hummed through her bones and flesh and she skirted the beyond.

The others made it easier for her to step out of the wind's gale, earth to ground her, water to snatch her up and take her along, fire to show her the way she needed to go. She owed them all her very life, not only for their support, but just for their very presence.

It was humbling and infuriating at the same time.

And still she wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

He fought. He pushed his body to it's limits and beyond. He exhausted his mind to the point of unconsciousness. But he still had a long way to go.

The aliens, those strange beings, neither protector nor tormentor. They urged him onward, refining and correcting his form. They gave no quarter and expected none in return.

And he fought.

_

* * *

There is nothing to do but wait now_, the _Garusia_ decided, checking the dark hole the three of them came through. His gaze meeting nothing but dust and mold.

* * *

Dramatis Personae

Jenna: Megaera, Fire Adept

Isaac: Charon, Earth Adept

Felix: Deceased

Garet: Kirin, Fire Adept

Ivan: Eclipse, Wind Adept

Mia: Healer, Water Adept

Alex: Boreas, Water Adept

Saturos: Proxian Commander, Catastrophe, Fire Adept, deceased

Menardi: Proxian Commander, Iris, Fire Adept, deceased

Agatio: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Karst: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Susa: Haures, Earth Adept, deceased

Hama: Commander of Western HQ, Wind Adept

Uzume: Command Liaison, Earth Adept

Kaja: Second in Command- Western HQ

Fiehzi: Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Hsu: Navigational Officer- Western HQ

Kay: Kraden's assistant, deceased

Obaba: Council Chair

Babi: Council member

Faran: Council member

Akafubu: Council member

Donpa: Council member

Dodonpa: Council member

Lunpa: Council member

Moapa: Council member

Hydros: Council member, deceased

Iodem: Babi's aide

Kraden: Scholar, deceased

Kushinada: Susa's wife, Earth Adept

Takeru: Susa and Kushinada's son

Briggs: Mech Communications Officer-Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Chaucha: Mech Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Defense Elite: Mech Warriors

Ouranos: DE captain

Sean: DE sergeant

Drones: Plant-like servants of the Prox.

_Garusia_: Masked Man, Judgement

Sheba: Child of the Winds, Female, Wind Adept

Piers: Lemurian

Traitor?

Anemos: People who lived in the sky.

Lemuria: People who lived in the ocean.

Emperor?

* * *

Disclaimer: Me no own.

And this nice long chapter introduces Ardente Veritate: Part Two. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.


	17. Birth

The Proxian monstrosity fell.

Jenna could hardly believe the events she herself had just witnessed, the transformation of two mechs into one and their resulting demise. She couldn't wrap her normally sharp mind around the significance of the scene in front of her.

The rest of the bridge was silent, contemplating perhaps, or even just wondering whether to cheer for a perceived victory or accept a loss. The line between the two seemed rather hazy.

Isaac and Boreas started traveling away, unaware of the stupor they had left in their wake. The two tiny blips on the viewscreen going to the unmanned snowfields of the north. Why? Jenna could only speculate wildly, each reason her mind came up with more fantastic than the last.

"F-Fiehzi," Kaja stuttered uncharacteristically interrupting the silence abruptly, "What is the status of the D.E.?"

The communications officer started, but quickly responded, "They have been deployed and are now following the mechs Charon and Boreas, sir."

"I want to be completely updated on whatever information they gather," Kaja announced to the bridge, "It could be crucial to foiling the Proxian agenda."

The previously motionless bridge then snapped into activity, their mission laid out for them and their objective clear. Jenna watched as Kaja sat down wearily in the commander's seat and ran a beefy hand over his rough face. She followed him, ignoring the still silent Garet and Ivan, "I want to go with the D.E. after them."

He looked at her incredulously, "Your mech is damaged, and even if it weren't do you think I would let you do anything talking to your commanding officer that way, _pilot_?"

"I want to go too," Garet added, pounding a fist into his open palm, "I owe those bastards one, and I always pay up."

"You are both out of line," Kaja snapped, "Until your mechs are fully repaired, I am not allowing you to leave this base," he paused glancing between the two fire adepts, "You would be going to your own death in a less than fully functional mech."

"I'm not about to let them get away!"

"We can still take them on!"

"Stop it," a cool but fatigued voice spoke from behind them, "Kaja is right."

Jenna turned around only to have a short blond blur rush by, "Hama!"

Ivan ran into his sister's arms, nearly knocking over the woman. She smiled fondly, stroking the boy's head, "Ivan, it is good to see you again."

"Hama," Jenna whispered, hardly able to believe her eyes. She was still pale and weak, but the backbone of determination remained. The fire adept smiled, merely happy to see her back.

Kaja, however, reacted a bit more emotionally, "Commander! You're back!" he shouted, drawing surprised stares from the rest of the bridge for both the volume and the way he rushed the woman, embracing her tightly.

Hama was visibly shocked, and so was Ivan who was caught in the fervent man's way. "Commander!" Kaja said softly, and then jumped away looking sheepish.

Smiling, Hama laid a hand on the large man's shoulder, "Thank you for your welcome, however I must know what has happened while I was unconscious."

"Yes, of course," he answered stepping away, "Bring up the battle information." Kaja strode back to his usual place on the bridge, Hama followed quickly but stiffly as Ivan never left her side.

That was enough of a dismissal for Jenna and she made her way out. There was no reason to stay and listen to Kaja debrief Hama on events she had seen with her own eyes, but there was her mech to think about and with the commander back there was no reason to obey Kaja's orders. She smirked, feeling better by the minute.

"Jenna! Wait!" Garet hissed from behind her before grabbing her arm, "Let's go together," he smiled.

"As long as you don't hold me back."

* * *

"It is as We have planned," the deep voice said from behind Uzume, resonating through her very bones, "We are pleased."

She could hear the malevolent pleasure in each syllable, dropping effortlessly from his tongue and winding like the serpent dragons carved into the walls into her, writhing and twisting. She dared not shudder or gasp, and it took all of her being to remain the perfect statue he desired, "Then I am pleased as well, My Lord."

He laughed, "Yes, of course you are, _Madame_," her title said as an insult.

Dark brows furrowed, perhaps the only part of her away from his gaze. Confusion quickly turned to a rush of panic and then numbness as he over shadowed her. His ghost hands flitting across her skin, cold- always so cold at first, and then the unbearable heat and solidness of him.

"Yes," his voice a rumble now, like an approaching storm, "We are pleased."

* * *

Megaera was in bad shape, several support systems not responding, armor integrity down to 23 capacity, and only 56 of the psynergy links working. However, Jenna was never so charged to be piloting her mech. She trembled from the adrenaline running through her veins, she sharp pinpoints of her hookups, normally spread out but now concentrated on certain portions of her body.

She was going to go after them, going to even the score, going to get revenge on those who killed. And she was going to enjoy every minute of it until her last.

They, Garet and herself, had gone noncom with HQ, preferring to skim over the barrens of Weyard in silence as they tracked Charon and Boreas. _It is probably better this way_, Jenna thought in a rare moment of sincerity, _sometimes things are better left unsaid_.

She would say her goodbyes in silence, she decided, rather than shouting them as Kaja and Hama railed her for disobeying orders and leaving without permission or notice. They would miss her, she knew, and she would miss them. And perhaps she was sorry for causing them so much pain, but this was her decision and not one made lightly.

"Jenna?" Garet asked over the private line, his voice oddly hesitant and soft, "Are you there?"

"Of course I am, where did you think I went?"

"If you're going to be that way about it, forget I said anything!"

Jenna sighed, "What is it?"

He paused, she could hear him breathing over the line even though he said nothing, "I want to apologize... for ... y'know..."

He just had to say something, didn't he, "Don't worry about, Garet. It's not all your fault," she said in a tone that suggested he drop it, but Garet was never the quickest on the uptake.

"It shouldn't have happened, Jenna," he sounded sad, "I took advantage of the situation, and-"

"-Garet, I said it's fine," she snapped, unwilling images of sweat and heat and that blissfull feeling of being alive after death came a little too close, "I shouldn't have needed it, I should have been stronger-"

"-Cut the crap," he interrupted her, "You're the strongest person I know, but that doesn't mean you can't have emotions like the rest of us! It probably makes you stronger or something, to feel like that, with the emotions!"

He got a bit incoherent at the end, but she appreciated the thought, "Thanks, Garet, I really mean it too."

"Heh, that's a first," she could see his smirk in her mind, "But, you know I love you, right? I just wanted to make sure I told you before we get killed out there."

"Yeah, Garet," she smiled, "Right back at you."

* * *

"We are still tracking the mechs Charon and Boreas across the continent," Fiehzi reported, not looking up from her display, "They appear to still be traveling together."

Hama frowned, her pale but regal features marred by too many lines, "Calculate possible trajectories, and I want to know the instant they stop."

"Yes, ma'am."

_Why would those two be traveling together? _she wondered, a strange feeling of knowledge just out of her reach passed briefly by like a leaf on the wind. She should know this, she told herself, she had felt an underlying current of mistrust when she first met the Earth Adept, Isaac. Faint enough to be dismissed, but persistent.

And now Kraden, Hydros, and Kay were murdered, and Boreas had escaped confinement.

What had driven loyal Isaac to betrayal?

The wind whispered in the back of her mind, mere notes of a larger symphony were all she could hear, and even less she could understand. _Betrayal... loyalty... green... dragon..._

It made no sense to her. Not to her tired mind, she couldn't understand.

She rubbed a hand over her face, her breath coming out in a haggard sigh. There was something she was overlooking, some vital clue passed over. What is was she could only speculate, but it was the link between all that had happened. And perhaps, the factor that would determine what would happen.

Hama felt a light hand on her shoulder, Ivan peered at her with worried eyes. He looked so young...

"Are you alright, sister?" he asked.

She nodded, "I am better, and I am glad you are here."

The tender moment was shattered as Fiehzi shouted, "Ma'am, Charon and Boreas have stopped."

"Where is their location?"

Her finger flew over the keyboard and her implant blinked furiously, "A large outcropping on the continent's eastern shore, sending coordinates."

Kaja stepped in, "Notify the D.E."

H.Q. shifted immediately as Hsu input the coordinates, even the bridge feeling the slight change. The display showed the ragged coastline and two blinking dots designated as Charon and Boreas. "Zoom in," Hama ordered.

The scene shifted from bird's eye view to a cross-section of the immediate area. The wayward mechs had stopped at what seemed to be a rocky outcropping with some ancient ruins- a tower of some sorts. What was so interesting about some dilapidated lighthouse?

"They have commenced bombardment."

Psynergy trails showed on the display, raining down from the mechs. Hama looked on in confusion, "What is the damage to the structure?"

"Minimal at best, although it is hard to tell."

"What are those fools up to?" Kaja asked to no one in particular.

"I don't understand," Ivan said from her side, "If they wanted to destroy it they could have. The power they're putting out is nowhere near full."

She could hear the wind, a faint breeze that teased her with comprehension if she could just catch it, "Kaja?"

"Yes?"

"Why would an enemy use minimal force against a target?"

He paused thinking, "I suppose if they wanted to capture it intact by just scaring the inhabitants into surrender, but no one has been in that area for years."

"What if there was?"

He frowned, "But that would mean..."

"Yes, Kaja," she finished, understanding dawning on her like the golden sun, "There is someone there, someone that the Prox want."

"But-"

Kaja was cut off by Fiehzi, "Ma'am! Megaera and Kirin have shown up as well."

"What?"

The screen zoomed out. In their haste they had forgotten Jenna and Garet and now the two hardheads would be going to their death, "Open up the com!" she shouted, her voice hard and demeanor even more so.

"Hey..." Garet's sheepish voice.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, boy!?" Kaja yelled, his face red, "I gave you a direct order-"

"Garet," Hama spoke calmly yet cooly, "Charon and Boreas are bombarding an old ruin. If you stay out of range of their sensors you should be able to catch them by surprise and overpower them when the D.E. arrives. Do you understand?"

"Ummm..."

"What he's trying to say is 'Yes, ma'am'" Jenna answered, relief evident in her voice, "Out"

"Fiehzi, tell the D.E. to rendezvous."

"What are you doing commander?" Kaja asked as the bridge was enveloped by activity.

Hama paused before answering evenly, "I want to know who is inside that ruin." she replied, lingering traces of a smile on the breeze.

* * *

The next bomb hit somewhere above, sending an ominous rumbling through the stone halls and dust into the air. Piers instinctively ducked, his arms over his head and eyes shut. Then, finding that he hadn't been crushed by tons of rock he stood up and continued on, feeling foolish.

His mouth was dry and his heart raced, the faint irregularity of beat becoming more pronounced by the second. This worried him a great deal. The bombs falling overhead worried him a great deal more. And how they were going to get out of this worried him the most.

He had to find his companions. His ill favored exploration of the ruins put on hold. He only hoped to find them soon and to hatch a plan of escape. The ceiling rumbled as another bomb hit it's mark, yes- soon he thought, not wanting to be entombed the ruin.

He had hoped to explore the ruin, one the last reminders of the great civilizations of old. A place he had even visited long ago with his mother.

_His small hand was held firmly in place by her slender one_, lest he escape and stumble into mischief or injury. Although all he could do was tilt his head up and gaze at the huge structure they were walking into.

Marble columns rose as far as he could see, inlaid with gold and silver and coral, scenes of fish and sea monsters tumbling down their heights like a waterfall. Beyond was an opening, massive onyx doors polished to gleam in the sunlight. The outside walls were covered in ivy, the green plants sprouting flowers of all different colors and sizes.

They walked carefully up the shallow steps, his mother's skirts trailing behind. She wore a festive yellow dress overlaid with a green tunic covered in embroidery. At her wrists and ankles simple lacquered bangles and her blue hair pulled back by a ribbon. She smiled, small features overpowered by her bright eyes- two golden disks in a pale face.

They were surrounded by other Lemurians, young and old, laughing or quarreling, rich and poor. It was the Sea Gate, the traditional pathway of his people into the monumental lighthouse.

He passed through into the dark and cool interior, his large eyes slowly focusing in the dim light. The arched ceiling was high overhead, stone blocks unadorned but beautiful in their simplicity and significance. For this was the center of the world.

Across the gallery was the Wind Gate, used by the Anemos.

The wind people were strange to him, light washed out hair cut short and slanted green eyes in oval faces that seemed too young. Even their clothing was different, not the soft flowing silks like his mother wore, but stiff looking dull colored cloth that covered them head to toe.

He shifted behind his mother to avoid their gaze, old eyes that seemed to _see _right through you. His mother turned them away from those strange creatures to his uncle.

"Sister," his uncle greeted Pier's mother, touching forehead to forehead, "It is good to see you and the little one well."

"And you as well, brother," she replied, "What is the talk?"

He shrugged, "No one knows, save the Anemos, but they will not say."

"I do not like this."

"I agree," he said, "But who are we to argue a summons?"

His mother frowned, but did not answer his question. Piers glanced uneasily from one adult to the other, wondering what they spoke of. He did not have to wait long before the constant background chatter was silenced by the deep thrum of a gong.

All eyes turned to a raised platform in between the two doorways.

There he was, impressive and stately, the face of a king and a voice of silver. He was decked in jewels and silks and held fire in his eyes.

Piers shook his head, clearing the image of a king and turning him into what he truly was- a Traitor.

A light ahead caused his heart to race once again, this time in excitement rather than suspense. He followed, boots traveling the uneven floor as he stumbled into the _Garusia_.

"There you are," the masked man rasped, "Alex and Charon are outside blasting us."

"Alex and Charon?" Piers asked confused, "Working together?"

"_It would seem so."_

"We need to leave, or we'll be easy targets once they break through the outer walls," the _Garusia _said and started to pace, "Especially buried in tons of rock."

"Either that or we'll be dead," Piers muttered.

"_Is there no other way? Running away will only get us caught, as Judgement cannot outrun both Alex and Charon_."

"Don't you think I know that?" the other man growled, his fist clenching, "Maybe if we had a distraction, or some fog or cover to escape. But there's nothing around for miles!"

A rumble shook the cave like room, a piece of the ceiling falling and smashing one of the detachable lights next to the crouching form of Judgement. The _Garusia _cursed and ran toward the nearby, spider like, housing of Sheba to check for any damage.

"_I am uninjured, as is my encasement_," she reassured him, "_However it is only a matter of time before the rest falls. We must reach a decision quickly_."

"It's obvious they are trying to flush us out," Piers put in while walking over to the other two, "If we stay they'll have to stop."

"Would they?" the _Garusia _challenged, "Alex isn't going to fall for that simple trick," he paused, "Besides, they only need Sheba alive, and he knows how hard this thing is to damage," he said pointing at the capsule.

"Then what? Are you going to go out there and blast them?" exasperated Piers voiced aloud, "A heroic end to be sure."

"_Wait...Piers, do you remember what this building was used for_?" Sheba cut off the angry retort from the masked man.

"It was a symbol of prosperity, a light to guide the peoples of Weyard," Piers recited from long forgotten memories of his school days. He was surprised he even remembered, as he hadn't thought of those long ago days for a long time.

"_Yes, a 'light to the people, constructed by the peaceful cooperation of Anemos and Lemuria, a lighthouse in both symbol and fact..._'"

"'...Topped with a blazing beacon to illuminate the souls of those who would willingly descend into darkness...'"

The _Garusia _turned towards Piers, "What does that mean?"

The Lemurian smiled, "It means we are going to blast them after all."

* * *

Alex was getting pissed off. What were those fools waiting for? Are they that brain-dead to stay in a collapsing ruin? He scowled and launched another volley of psynergy bombs, _maybe that will crush those two fools,_ he hoped.

The distant impacts did little to lighten his mood however, "Like rats in hiding," he smirked.

Isaac didn't answer, the boring plant lover merely sending his own bombs down. If Alex didn't know better the Earth Adept didn't seem to be enjoying his task. Perhaps once Isaac had outlived his usefulness he would be allowed to kill him.

Satisfied, Alex launched another volley into the ruins.

* * *

"Is this really going to work?"

Piers looked back to the _Garusia _from connecting the psynergy lines to the main beacon of the lighthouse, "It had better," he replied, tugging the cable that ran from Judgement. There was no room for error and none for doubt either, a last stand that risked everything.

"_It will work_," Sheba added, "_The power overload from Judgement should be sufficient."_

Ever the pessimist, "And what if it isn't? Where will we get more power? Once we do this there is no turning back, we can't even return the psynergy to Judgement to make a run for it!"

_He's right_, an annoying voice in Piers head said, _you could be risking everything_. But it was their best shot at living through this encounter, he answered as another threatening rumble crashed like a wave into the walls.

A few more connections and he was finished. Piers got up stiffly from his crouch and hobbled over to the ancient computer that controlled the beacon. His hands passed over the embedded black orb and the room sprang to life in a blinding light. Parts of the console had corroded away, exposing its inner components, it reminded him of a large animal that had lost a fight of survival with a predator. He hoped that the components had not lost a fight with time the same way.

In fact, he hoped the corroded wires and broken displayed worked at all. Perhaps he should have left the light off, at least then the damage hadn't been so apparent.

The _Garusia _seemed to agree, "This will never work."

"Just watch," the Lemurian sighed, nimble hands motioning over the orb expertly. The console responded and started to draw in the stored psynergy from Judgement. "It shouldn't take very long, once these gauges are in the red we will be able to act."

Dust shifted down into long dark hair, "One shot... you're asking a lot, Piers."

"_Nothing you can't handle_."

Piers laughed, "You can't possibly argue with that."

"Hmph."

A few moments later a quick glance lead Piers to start clutching at his chest in nervousness. The _Garusia _noticed, "What?"

The undeniable sound of a machine powering down echoed in the quiet room, "It's...it's not enough... dammnit..."

His body tensed, every line more pronounced taught, ready to snap, "Not enough, Piers? There has to be- even if there isn't we still have to do something."

Looking down, Piers replied "You don't understand, if the psynergy isn't critical it will just dissipate. They won't even be affected."

He looked up just in time to see a fist. A punch right in the face, "This was your great plan? What are we supposed to do now?"

"_Stop it!"_

"What was that for!" Piers asked, a hand rubbing the tender flesh of his cheek, "It was our best shot, we couldn't have run for it and we couldn't have sat idly by!"

"Your best failed."

He shut his eyes, "I apologize."

"We're going to die."

"..."

"_No... no we are not_!"

It was Sheba's inner voice, but never like he had heard it before- high pitched and scared. She sounded like a frightened little girl.

"Sheba..." the _Garusia _trailed off, clearly puzzled and worried.

"_Don't you two dare fight_," she warned, "_We will never escape if you two fight_."

She was right of course, they needed to work together to find a solution, "We need more power, and there isn't anything left," Piers told her calmly while indirectly addressing the other man, "Without power we are no match for Charon and Alex."

"What do you suggest?" tight clipped words.

The Lemurian merely shook his head.

The rumbling was even more prominent in the silence that ensued. Great shattering echoes that shook the floor and walls and ceiling and their faith. _What could be done_, he asked himself, _we only need a bit more, just a bit and the beacon psynergy will be critical. Then, then we could drive those two off._

"_Only a bit more, Piers_?"

He frowned, "Yes, but there is no more. Judgement was been drained."

"_What about my capsule_?" she asked.

"Your capsule?" _wait_, he thought, _it could be enough_, but "You will have to be removed. No one has after such a long time. I don't know what will happen."

"She might die."

"_What good am I dead inside the capsule or outside_?" she countered, "_If this works we will all live_."

The _Garusia _paused for a short moment, "Will it be enough psynergy?"

"I don't know," Piers answered truthfully, "But we don't have any other options."

"Do it before I change my mind."

* * *

Dramatis Personae

Jenna: Megaera, Fire Adept

Isaac: Charon, Earth Adept

Felix: Deceased

Garet: Kirin, Fire Adept

Ivan: Eclipse, Wind Adept

Mia: Healer, Water Adept

Alex: Boreas, Water Adept

Saturos: Proxian Commander, Catastrophe, Fire Adept, deceased

Menardi: Proxian Commander, Iris, Fire Adept, deceased

Agatio: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Karst: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Susa: Haures, Earth Adept, deceased

Hama: Commander of Western HQ, Wind Adept

Uzume: Command Liaison, Earth Adept

Kaja: Second in Command- Western HQ

Fiehzi: Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Hsu: Navigational Officer- Western HQ

Kay: Kraden's assistant, deceased

Obaba: Council Chair

Babi: Council member

Faran: Council member

Akafubu: Council member

Donpa: Council member

Dodonpa: Council member

Lunpa: Council member

Moapa: Council member

Hydros: Council member, deceased

Iodem: Babi's aide

Kraden: Scholar, deceased

Kushinada: Susa's wife, Earth Adept

Takeru: Susa and Kushinada's son

Briggs: Mech Communications Officer-Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Chaucha: Mech Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Defense Elite: Mech Warriors

Ouranos: DE captain

Sean: DE sergeant

Drones: Plant-like servants of the Prox.

_Garusia_: Masked Man, Judgement

Sheba: Child of the Winds, Female, Wind Adept

Piers: Lemurian

Traitor?

Anemos: People who lived in the sky.

Lemuria: People who lived in the ocean.

Emperor?

* * *

Disclaimer: Someone else owns this unfortunately.

AN: Thanks to those who reviewed last chapter. The story is progressing nicely and there will be quite a few surprised coming soon!


	18. The Lighthouse Beacon

They waited, out of sight and perhaps out of mind, to the two mechs raining bombardment down below. It certainly wasn't what she wanted, her blood boiling and skin itching for a fight, but they were no match for the overpowered Boreas and Charon. She would have to wait for the D.E.

But it was hard, waiting and waiting, watching the two mech attack without knowing why or being able to stop them. It was frustrating, and Jenna could hardly contain herself from blasting them in a surprise attack.

It would be pointless, but oh so satisfying.

She wondered, vaguely, why they were bombing a worthless old ruin. What was there? What secrets resting within its crumbling walls and dusty floors? What was worth treachery? she wondered, pretty face frowning and fists clutching in anger or perhaps disappointment.

But the attacks continued, ice blue comets from Boreas and drab rockets from Charon. They came down in waves, splitting the ground underneath, causing it to rise and fall like the tide, a churning that she would never of expected of dirt and rock.

It was a wonder anyone would be alive after that...

And then a great light shone from the top of the ruin, bright and slightly off white it grew in the darkening sky, illuminating the attacking mechs as they stopped bombing in shock or surprise, she didn't have enough time to tell which.

The light spread out from the top of the ruins, an incandescent beam shooting through the sky so suddenly Jenna screamed as the blast ripped past her and sent her tumbling to the ground. She heard Garet say something over the comm, but it was lost when Megaera slammed into the rocky coastline below and she lost consciousness.

* * *

_This is too easy_, he thought while leaning back in his cockpit chair. He sighed and brushed long blue hair out of his eyes as his mech launched wave after wave of icy bombs.

_Before long they will come out_, he laughed, _tails between their legs and begging for mercy. There is no other option left for those cowards._

He would have them, he would have _her_, the chosen one, the Child of the Gods...

Alex smiled, handsome features pulled into something resembling a sneer, he wouldn't need Isaac after this and _He _wouldn't object to killing. Maybe it was even expected, that little Earth Adept couldn't be useful for anything but a spy.

_And now his task is done_, Alex thought smiling, his lazy expression focused on the viewscreen showing Charon launch charges. It would be so easy to flip a switch and take care of it, the naive Isaac would never suspect.

But perhaps fate intervened, and while Alex considered murder a bright light suddenly engulfed him.

* * *

Another wave, and yet another. Isaac frowned over the wanton destruction below him, bright blue eyes saddened while they watched the landscape torn apart only to be ripped apart again with the next wave of explosives.

_The earth shouldn't churn like that_, he thought numbly, _it isn't right_. But churn it did, like a great cauldron of boiling water.

_They won't be able to hold out much longer_, he thought, _no one would be able to survive that..._

Pity rose within him, a swell of respect for what they were trying to do even though he stood against them. They were brave and foolish, and if they had been on his side great allies. But perhaps fate interfered, splitting them into two different parties.

And perhaps it was that same fate that knocked him back just as he was about to finish them off.

* * *

Fists clenched, the _Garusia _watched Piers disconnect the final support systems. Some tubes bringing in air or carrying out waste, filters and purifiers, probes and monitors, and all other things for which he had no name being removed for the first time in five hundred years.

It was staggering, the enormity of this simple moment. He had been waiting to meet her face to face ever since he could remember, and here it was- right when they were both probably going to die.

He couldn't look anymore, heart pounding and his skin in a cold sweat. _What would she say? Look like? Would she just die_?

Forcing the thoughts out of his mind he finally looked up, his expression concealed behind a mask but his relaxed stance giving all away.

The last seal undone, the spider like container opened, spilling clear fluid onto the dusty floor. A light came on, flickering at first and then a steady beam shining into the chamber revealed.

There she was, the Child of the Gods, _Sheba_...

She was thin, he noticed, arms and legs all elbows and knees. Her ribs were showing under her pale skin, her small breasts and waist not able to give her more shape. Short blonde hair, a color not much darker than her skin, topped her head in wet stringy wisps.

Piers grabbed her before she fell, her body going slack without support, and eased her to the ground, "Sheba?" he asked, voice full of worry, "Can you hear me?"

She was silent save a rasping breath. The masked one called out, kneeling next to her form, "Sheba? Please, Sheba... talk to us."

Another breath, and then two, and then her voice- not in his head but small in the cavernous room, "Yes, I am here."

The vice in his chest loosened and he reached out for her hand, so cold and small in his own, and smiled.

"She's freezing," Piers commented, breaking through the _Garusia's _reverie, "Give me your cloak," he complied and the Lemurian wrapped Sheba in the loose fabric, "That should be fine for now."

"Until you two get us out of this mess," Sheba smiled drowsily, large green eyes looking back and forth between the two men unfocused, "Use the beacon."

"Right," Piers smiled and handed her off to the _Garusia_, "It'll only take a few seconds, we'll know immediately if it was worth it."

The masked man nodded, holding Sheba tightly against him.

Piers hurriedly connected the empty shell to the equally ancient but dilapidated beacon control. The panel didn't change, save for a single new green light. His hand hovered over the button, hesitating until a loud rumble filled the cavernous room, shaking the old stones enough for part of a wall to collapse.

"_Piers_!"

He pressed the green light.

* * *

Rusted gears groaned to life, dust falling as they started to turn. The refractive crystal at the top of the ruin moved, its base screeching against the buildup of debris as it pointed towards the two mechs. A low hum of psynergy started from deep in the ruin, soft at first and then growing to shattering strength as it traveled up the tower.

Collected and focused, the psynergy shot out from the beacon, an incandescent beam of white that ripped through the skies of Weyard.

The clouds parted, the ground flattened, and the ocean churned under its force, the mechs were no match as they disappeared in the light. Even those not directly in its path felt the upheaval, Megaera and Kirin blasted away by the sheer force of power and the D.E. following sent tumbling.

The tower shook violently, straining to maintain the great psynergy output. It failed, gears grinding down to nothing and the crystal shattering in a catastrophic explosion. The beam spread out for just a moment, filling all directions, a giant sphere of psynergy before winking out as the tower broke in two. The top half split off, falling to the wayside in a cascade of rock and ancient dreams.

It was silent then, dust settling and waves shrinking to mere ripples.

* * *

"What the FUCK was that?!" Kaja shouted, pointing to the display, his face red, "Can someone explain?!"

"Kaja!" Hama answered with a rare raising of her voice, "Control yourself!"

His fist clenched, "Yes, ma'am," his voice stilted, "But the question still remains."

Hama frowned, "Fiehzi, see if you can contact Megaera and Kirin, if not have the D.E. find them."

"Yes, ma'am," she answered distractedly.

"Fiehzi!" Hama snapped.

"Yes, ma'am!" she replied, focused fingers flying over the communication panel. The others followed her example, distracted faces a moment ago, but now dutifully determined.

"Commander," Kaja pleaded from her side.

"Will Jenna and Garet be alright?" Ivan asked.

She sighed, truly unable to answer either question, "I don't know," she said, fatigue rising, "I don't think we will find out anything until we can talk to Jenna and Garet."

Kaja and Ivan were silent after that, deep in thought when Fiehzi shouted, "Commander!"

"What is it?"

"The D.E. have found Megaera and Kirin, it seems that both mechs are damaged. Jenna and Garet are injured but not seriously."

Hama breathed out a sigh of relief.

"That's not all," she continued, "Their sensors have picked up several hits from inside the ruins."

"Have them check it out," Hama replied, "I want to know what was so important to Boreas and Charon."

Fiehzi nodded, relaying the orders, "They also say that there is no sign of the enemy mechs."

"None at all?" Kaja asked and Fiehzi nodded, "Perhaps they escaped the blast then, dammit."

"Again," Hama said, "We cannot do anything until we have more information."

Kaja slammed his fist against the wall, "Dammit."

"Commander!" Fiehzi shouted, "Incoming external communication."

"From who?"

"They are identifying themselves as the Prox."

* * *

Dramatis Personae

Jenna: Megaera, Fire Adept

Isaac: Charon, Earth Adept, MIA

Felix: Deceased

Garet: Kirin, Fire Adept

Ivan: Eclipse, Wind Adept

Mia: Healer, Water Adept

Alex: Boreas, Water Adept, MIA

Saturos: Proxian Commander, Catastrophe, Fire Adept, deceased

Menardi: Proxian Commander, Iris, Fire Adept, deceased

Agatio: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Karst: Proxian Commander, Fire Adept

Susa: Haures, Earth Adept, deceased

Hama: Commander of Western HQ, Wind Adept

Uzume: Command Liaison, Earth Adept

Kaja: Second in Command- Western HQ

Fiehzi: Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Hsu: Navigational Officer- Western HQ

Kay: Kraden's assistant, deceased

Obaba: Council Chair

Babi: Council member

Faran: Council member

Akafubu: Council member

Donpa: Council member

Dodonpa: Council member

Lunpa: Council member

Moapa: Council member

Hydros: Council member, deceased

Iodem: Babi's aide

Kraden: Scholar, deceased

Kushinada: Susa's wife, Earth Adept

Takeru: Susa and Kushinada's son

Briggs: Mech Communications Officer-Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Chaucha: Mech Communications Officer- Western HQ, implanted Wind Adept

Defense Elite: Mech Warriors

Ouranos: DE captain

Sean: DE sergeant

Drones: Plant-like servants of the Prox.

_Garusia_: Masked Man, Judgement

Sheba: Child of the Winds, Female, Wind Adept

Piers: Lemurian

Traitor?

Anemos: People who lived in the sky.

Lemuria: People who lived in the ocean.

Emperor?

* * *

Disclaimer: Not mine.

AN: Short chapter, but that was where it needed to end. As always, thanks for reading!


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